Simply Deep
by Kryin Ashley
Summary: He saved her life on a spur of the moment. Before thanks could be uttered, he was taken from her. She spends her days waiting for him to return just to thank him and a strange friendship is born. Or is it love?
1. 1: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

**AN: This story is named after the song "Simply Deep" by Kelly Rowland ft. Solange Knowles. If you haven't heard it, download it or something. It's a pretty song and it kinda sums up the whole Ulquiorra-Orihime relationship.**

**Disclaimer: I'm only gonna do this once. I don't own Bleach; Tite Kubo does. If I did, Aizen would be ugly on the inside AS WELL as out. It's unfair that he's actually somewhat decent-looking (he looks like an evil Superman) and such a douche. Only the ones worthy of redemption should be good-looking (Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Gin, Starrk, Harribel, etc.). And Shinji and Gin would NEVER fight each other. At all. Seriously, THAT fight would never happen. Whose idea was that?**

**Oooo… I cannot WAIT to see how Aizen gets his... Seriously, I want Shinji or Urahara or someone-whose-life-Aizen-destroyed to kill him. Hell, GIN would do. Yeah, Gin would be beyond SWEET.**

**But, to the story.**

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**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 1: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face**

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* * *

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Orihime Inoue chewed on her pencil idly. She was doing it again. She was wishing she was someone else. No. She was not wishing she was someone else. She already knew who the _**SOMEONE ELSE**_ was. They were only a few feet away from her.

_I wish I was Rukia Kuchiki_, Orihime thought dismally.

She was watching Rukia Kuchiki sit at the lab table across from her with the guy she'd had a crush on since freshman year at Karakura University: Ichigo Kurosaki. Orihime was not usually the type to be jealous of another person. She did not have it in her to have such feelings. Besides, Ichigo and Rukia were like her best friends. They were not at fault for falling in love. Orihime could not blame them for finding happiness in one another.

_Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it_, she thought almost bitterly. She blinked and looked down at her notes. _Where did that thought come from? That isn't... how I'm supposed to think. Rukia and Ichigo are my friends. Orihime, I thought you were over this_.

"Orihime!"

Orihime looked up and saw Rukia coming over to her. She put the pencil back in her mouth and immediately began nibbling as the violet-eyed girl stopped in front of her.

"Hey. We were going to get something to eat after class. Do you want to come?" Rukia asked. She glanced down at Orihime's notes. "You couldn't get that equation either, huh? No one's been able to. Not even Uryuu."

"No, I couldn't. I'm still working on it. About going out, I think I'll just go on back to the dorm. I have a lot of studying to do," Orihime said. Rukia's face saddened for a moment but she nodded. "Sorry, Rukia."

"It's fine. We'll do it some other time. See you back at the dorm," Rukia said. She turned and left.

Orihime watched her leave with Ichigo, Yasutora Sado (Chad), Uryuu Ishida, and Tatsuki Arisawa. Tatsuki was the only one who gave Orihime a lingering glance. Orihime just waved before looking back down in her notebook. Sighing, she completed the equation, tore it out of her notebook, and walked over to a big box in the front of the room. She folded the paper into a star and tucked into the box. Then she left, leaving the lab empty.

* * *

It was another mediocre day in the mediocre world of a mediocre guy named Ulquiorra Cifer. Well, Ulquiorra considered himself mediocre. He considered his life mediocre. In a lot of ways, it probably was. He considered himself just a normal guy and nothing more.

After all, he was just a student in a college that spent more time working _**FOR**_ the college than studying for his classes. It was a miracle that Ulquiorra found time for the essentials to keep himself alive.

It was Monday afternoon and he had exactly one hour to himself before he had to work. He would use that hour wisely and try to study in his dorm.

_Hopefully that blue-haired trash is not in there_, Ulquiorra thought morbidly. He was burdened with having a boisterous, brash, brazen, and blockheaded athlete as his roommate. Usually, they tried to stay as far away as possible from one another. However, when they did see each other, insult after insult was thrown. They had come to blows once and much to the blue-haired athlete's surprise, the slight, yet strangely muscular Ulquiorra had held his own far better than expected.

At the moment, Ulquiorra concentrated on crossing the street ahead of him. He saw a car coming from his left and stopped. A person walked up next to him, thoroughly engaged in a thick book. Ulquiorra spared them a glance, wondering if they were going to stop on the edge. He noticed that the person had not noticed the oncoming vehicle, and neither had the driver of said vehicle.

Ulquiorra was not one for acts of gallantry or anything of the like. He preferred to meld into the background. That was where he belonged. He had always seen that as his place of residence; his comfort zone. However, if he saw something that was could be prevented with his help, he would help. He was not cold. At least _**HE**_ did not think so.

So that is why Ulquiorra found himself reaching for the unobservant girl with her nose in the book. He tried to pull her back. She apparently wanted to go forward. A lot. By the time he got her to completely turn around, they had basically switched places, with him facing her.

Their eyes only met for a moment: gray and green. Her eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen. While she grew frantic, he stayed completely calm and appeared to accept the current situation as inevitable.

_Troublesome woman_, Ulquiorra thought as the speeding car slammed into his right side. Curiously, he only felt it for a moment before completely blacking out.

* * *

Orihime dropped the book she was carrying. Gasps and screams were heard all around her. There was the screeching of tires, signaling that the car did indeed stop, just with something either on or under it. She turned her head. Forgetting about the book, she ran towards the scene, pushing people out of the way. The driver of the car had already gotten out to see who they had hit. Orihime went around to the front and gasped.

He was bloody. He was bruised. He was broken. But for some reason, Orihime still found him beautiful. She slowly reached forward and checked his pulse. Her heart skipped a beat.

_Weak. But he's still alive_, she thought. She turned and faced the gathering crowd.

"Does someone have a phone? Anyone? Call the paramedics! He's still alive!" Orihime screamed. She looked back down at the fragile, pale man who had saved her from being in his position. She felt her eyes welling with tears.

_He's caught under a convertible. Why? Because of me. If he dies, I'll never forgive my_...

"Stop... woman," a dry, pained voice said. Orihime's eyes shot open. He was speaking to her. His eyes were slightly open. "Don't... cry." He closed his eyes again just as the sirens of the paramedics could be heard. Orihime's eyes widened.

"No! Stay awake! Stay with me!" she yelled. Then she was pulled out of the way.

Orihime watched as they removed the mystery man with brilliant green eyes and black hair from under the convertible. They placed him on a gurney and wheeled him off towards an ambulance. From what Orihime could see, he had an oxygen mask on. That meant he was still alive... for now. She was watching the ambulance drive off when a police officer came up to her.

"Did you see what happened, miss?"

"Yes," Orihime said.

"From the beginning, please."

"He pulled me back," Orihime whispered. The officer looked at her curiously.

"What?"

"He pulled me back," Orihime repeated. "I'm the one who's supposed to be on their way to the hospital. I wasn't paying attention and he grabbed me and..." Orihime trailed off. She wiped her eyes. The officer nodded. After a few moments silence, the officer tapped Orihime again. "Yes?"

"Do you want to go see if he's okay?"

"Uh... okay."

* * *

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez walked into the dormitory that he shared with a certain green-eyed senior like himself. He found it quite odd that it did not look as if Ulquiorra had been home at all that day. Normally he leaves his books before he went to work.

_Wonder where the little punk is. It's not like him to break from routine_, Grimmjow thought as he popped open the can to a soda. He sat down on the sofa, chugging away and turned on the television. He was in no way prepared for the news bulletin.

"... _senior Ulquiorra Cifer was struck by a speeding car today_..."

Grimmjow spat all of the soda he was drinking out. He did not like Ulquiorra and he was sure Ulquiorra did not like him. Nonetheless, there was a reason the two shared the same dormitory. It certainly was not because they were best friends. Grimmjow grabbed his keys and reached for the remote.

"Give me the hospital name!" Grimmjow yelled at the television.

"... _is at Karakura Memorial Hospital_..." Grimmjow ran out of the room.

* * *

Orihime sat outside in the emergency waiting area. It had been hours since the accident. She had just been told that the guy who had risked his life for her was named Ulquiorra Cifer. She had absolutely no idea who he was. All she knew was that he threw himself in front of a car to save her life and now he was hanging on to his.

_I wonder if he has any family. They said they put something on the news about the accident. Maybe someone will come for him_, she thought.

Orihime was so lost in thought that she completely missed someone in blue scrubs walk up to her. After a few jabs to her shoulder, she finally realized that someone was standing over her. She looked up and saw the tall woman.

"I'm sorry. I was just... thinking," Orihime said quietly. The woman nodded.

"I get that a lot. I'm Dr. Isane Kotetsu. I run the trauma center here at Karakura Memorial. Are you here about Ulquiorra Cifer?" she asked.

Orihime did not know how to answer that exactly. She was not family, but so far she was the only one who was there for him. So, Orihime simply nodded in confirmation. She turned and led Orihime down the halls, talking all the while.

"Considering what he's been through, he's lucky to be alive. A few broken ribs, a broken leg, a broken arm, and several other injuries are just the start. The real work was trying to stop all the internal bleeding he had. His lungs, his stomach, and his kidney. But, Dr. Unohana is the best." Isane came to a stop at a window.

Orihime turned and looked inside. There on a hospital bed was bandaged man. Orihime bit her lip. He looked horrible. But the best thing was that he was alive. He also appeared to be asleep. She felt Isane tap her. Orihime turned to see a shorter woman approaching them. She had a small smile on her face.

"You are here to see Mr. Cifer?" she asked. Orihime nodded. "I'm Dr. Retsu Unohana. I did a lot of the surgery on Mr. Cifer. He..."

"Will he recover? He looks so... bad," Orihime blurted out. Unohana simply smiled.

"He should recover. He'll just need a lot of time. That accident was really rough on him. I am told you were directly involved in the accident, Miss..."

"Orihime Inoue. Yes, I was. He pulled me out of the way." Orihime looked back at Ulquiorra. "I would be on that bed if it wasn't for him," she mumbled. Unohana nodded. "This is all my fault. I should've been paying more attention."

"No, it isn't, Miss Inoue. Things like this happen. Would you like to talk to him?" Unohana asked. Orihime blinked.

"But isn't he..."

"Doesn't mean he can't hear you," Unohana said with a smile. She pulled the door open for Orihime. Orihime nodded and entered the room slowly.

Isane looked at her superior and then at Orihime. The redhead was approaching the bed slowly and timidly. Isane jumped when she heard Unohana sigh. She looked down at her. A faint smile was on her face.

"Sweet, isn't it?" Unohana said suddenly.

"Huh?" Isane asked.

"Isane, you don't find guys like that every day." Unohana turned and walked away.

* * *

Orihime approached Ulquiorra on the bed. She quietly pulled up a chair and sat. He was so incredibly pale. He had been pale while they were on the street. Now that all the blood, dirt, and grime was washed away, he looked positively ghostly. Orihime took a deep breath a leaned forward, looking down at his still form.

"Hi. I'm Orihime. I'm the girl who you pulled back from the street. So, I guess it's my fault you're laying there, huh?" Orihime sighed. "I'm really, really sorry. I just wish there was some way I could..."

She was cut off by loud noises from outside the room. She froze as she heard the door open. Clunky footsteps were heard. Orihime turned her head. A tall, blue-haired man with sharp blue eyes was staring down at Ulquiorra. He crossed his arms, sighed, and shook his head. Then he seemed to notice that besides Ulquiorra, he was not alone in the room.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked gruffly. Orihime jumped and looked away.

"Orihime Inoue," she said quietly.

"You the reason the green-eyed monster is stuck this way?" he asked. Orihime nodded slowly, tears coming to her eyes.

Grimmjow seemed to notice that his words may have hurt the redhead sitting next to Ulquiorra's bed. She was sniffling and rubbing her face with the back of her hand. Rolling his eyes, he glanced around for the tissues. Finding the box on a table across the room, he walked over to the girl named Orihime and held them out to her. She looked up and took one.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," he said. Orihime nodded as she wiped her face. "So how do you know Ulquiorra?"

"I don't," she said. Grimmjow blinked.

"You don't know him? So why are you here?"

"If it wasn't for him, I'd be in his position or dead. I owe it to him to at least thank him." She turned her gray eyes on him. "Wouldn't you do the same? You're his friend, right?"

"We're roommates. We sorta grew up together, too. I kinda promised someone I'd look out for him." Grimmjow smirked. "Not really doin' a good job of that now, huh?" He noticed that Orihime was looking up at him with teary eyes again. He sighed to himself.

_Is she gonna cry every five minutes? Damnit_! he thought as he handed her another tissue. She nodded in thanks and blew her nose.

"Did they say when he'll wake up?" Grimmjow asked.

"No. But, I hope it's soon." Orihime looked back Ulquiorra's serene face. He looked as if nothing was wrong; as if he was simply sleeping. She heard Grimmjow walk towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"To get a snack? You want something? You look like you haven't eaten anything," he said. Orihime shook her head, but her stomach protested loudly. Grimmjow shook his head. "I'll bring you some chips."

* * *

Grimmjow walked down the hall towards the vending area. He could not believe Ulquiorra. This was a guy who would sooner throw him in front of a bus than pull him from getting hit.

_That's a little harsh. He'd warn me about it_, Grimmjow amended. _Still, it's awfully strange that he just saves this girl out of nowhere. She seems awfully torn up about it. How do you not see a speeding car coming towards you_? He could only imagine the daydreaming nature of the girl. She seemed like the type.

"Better call Harribel and give her the news. I'm gonna put that little punk back in the hospital because of this ass-chewing I'm about to receive from Harribel." He walked over to a pay phone.

* * *

Orihime rested her head on in her hand. She thought back to right before the accident. She had caught a glimpse of his eyes. They had no business being on someone with such pale skin. They were such a bright green; a defining feature on him. Those reptilian eyes would haunt her dreams if he never woke up. She shook her head and sat forward.

_He'll wake up._

"I know he will," she whispered. "You hear that, Ulquiorra? You will wake up and you will meet me in earnest. And we will leave here. And I will buy you ice cream."

* * *

_The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes  
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave._


	2. 2: Wishing on a Star

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 2: Wishing on a Star**

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* * *

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Tia Harribel was angry.

_Angry is not enough to describe what I am at this moment. It does not quite convey the message_, she thought. _Perhaps incensed is the right word. Or irate. Yes. Irate sounds better_.

The blonde, tan-skinned woman stormed her way through the pasty halls of Karakura Memorial Hospital. She ignored every nurse asking her questions and kept her green eyes focused directly ahead of her. Grimmjow had given her the floor and room number already. She did not need to speak with anyone regarding that. All she needed was to get to her destination.

_I hate being on this side of town. Why do Grimmjow and Ulquiorra go to school over here_? Harribel thought as she turned another corner. She finally reached the room that belonged to Ulquiorra. She stopped and looked in the window, her breath catching for a moment.

* * *

Grimmjow noisily ate chips as he sat on next to Ulquiorra's bed. The girl named Orihime was still there, patiently waiting to see if Ulquiorra would wake up. There still had been no sign that he would wake. Orihime was now resting her head on the bed, looking as if she was about to fall asleep. Grimmjow sighed and glanced up. He immediately sat up straight in his chair when he noticed the woman standing in the glass. She frowned at him and entered the room.

"Harribel..." Grimmjow started.

"How did this happen, Grimmjow?" Harribel asked.

Orihime looked up, blinking sleepily. Through the sleep in her eyes, she could see a pretty woman with blonde hair talking firmly to Grimmjow and Grimmjow stuttering through his sentences. Orihime smiled weakly.

_It's funny to see him do that_, she thought while yawning. She did not see Harribel turn her attention to her.

"And who are you?" Harribel asked. Orihime's eyes widened.

"Me? I'm Orihime Inoue. I'm..."

"... the reason Ulquiorra's a broken mess. Yes, I've heard the story." Harribel looked away from Orihime and at Ulquiorra. "You don't have to stay. He isn't your responsibility. He's mine," she said.

"Responsibility? You're his family?" Orihime asked. Harribel looked back at her.

"In a way. You can go on home now. We'll take care of him from here," Harribel said. Orihime bit her lip.

"Um, okay." She picked up her purse and headed for the door. Before she exited, she turned and looked at Harribel and Grimmjow. "I will be back. Every day. Every day until he wakes up. I really want to thank him." With that, she was gone.

Grimmjow looked at Harribel.

"Strange girl, that one," he mumbled. Harribel thumped him on the nose. "What was that for?"

"You two are supposed to be looking out for one another. First, you nearly beat each other to death in your dorm. Now Ulquiorra gets hit by a car. Next I'll be hearing you jumped off a bridge," Harribel said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey, he provoked me in that fight. He practically asked me to punch him first. And he threw himself in front of the car to save Princess. Ulquiorra digs his own grave and you know it. The guy's a glutton for pain. I thought he was supposed to be the _**SMART**_ one," Grimmjow retorted, still rubbing his nose. Harribel sighed and looked down at Ulquiorra.

_Aside from the fact that he's unconscious and practically in a body cast, not much has changed about him_, she thought.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were like her brothers. She had taken care of them since she found them wandering the streets together as children. They clearly did not get along but neither refused to leave the other behind for whatever reason. Grimmjow stated firmly that only he was allowed to pick on Ulquiorra. No one dared to pick on Grimmjow lest they wanted a fist in their nose.

Harribel had done all she could to get them out of the slums of Karakura. She had enrolled them in schools even though they had no set address. It was there that she learned that Ulquiorra was smart; bordering on genius "smart." Grimmjow also was very talented at beating things up with little wooden sticks, so that's where his kendo scholarship came from.

"Did you tell Nel?" Grimmjow asked suddenly, bringing Harribel from her thoughts. She looked over at him. Nelliel Tu Oderschvank; another lost soul that Harribel had added to her group of strays.

"No. You know how she worries about you two being all the way over here while she's still at the high school."

"Bel, why don't you just move over here?"

"Because..." Harribel trailed off and took a seat next to Grimmjow. "Just drop that subject for now, Grimmjow. Let's just concentrate on Ulquiorra and when he'll finally be able to leave here."

* * *

Orihime walked up to her dorm. Before she put in the code to open the door, she looked up and saw a star bright in the sky. It was very unusual to see such a bright star in the city. She closed her eyes and made a wish. Then she put in the code. She opened the door and dragged her feet up the stairs. Never had she felt so bad. When she finally made it to her room, she slid the key in and the door flew open before she had a chance to unlock it. Tatsuki and Rukia stood in the door looking her over.

"Orihime, where have you been?" Tatsuki demanded to know. Orihime just smiled weakly.

"Well, I, uh..." Orihime stopped as the two girls pulled her inside the room and slammed the door.

"What happened? It's so late. You're never this late getting back," Rukia said.

"You also were supposed to be here in the first place. You never go out without telling us."

"I, uh..."

"Where were you, Orihime? We were so worried."

It finally grew quiet. Orihime opened her mouth to see if anyone would say anything. The two would not let her get a word in edgewise and it was beginning to annoy her. They always did that. But, she usually kept her mouth shut about it. She sighed and went to her bed.

"You know that accident that happened earlier?" Orihime asked. Rukia and Tatsuki looked at one another.

"You mean with that Cifer person getting hit by a car? What about it?" Tatsuki asked.

"Well, he was pulling _**ME**_ back from getting hit." Orihime watched their faces contort to ones of shock. She nodded and decided to continue. "I went to the hospital to see if I could thank him, but he hasn't awakened yet. I've been there all afternoon and most of the night. I was talking with his roommate, too," she said.

"Oh," Rukia whispered. "Well, will he be okay?"

"Yes, he'll live. It's just that I feel like it's all my fault. In fact, I _**KNOW**_ it's all my fault. I wasn't paying attention. He pulled me back and took my place. He even spoke to me. He told me not to cry." Orihime had no idea that she was crying at the moment. "He also had the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. They were green."

Tatsuki and Rukia looked at one another. Tatsuki swallowed and sat by Orihime. Orihime looked up at her and smiled as her best friend wiped her tears away.

"Orihime, it isn't your fault. I'm sure even he doesn't blame you. He knew what he was doing. He was just protecting you. You know... Like we do all the time. We all protect you. Why don't you get some sleep? You've had a long day," she said. Orihime nodded, still sniffling quietly. She stood up, leaving her purse on her bed.

"Yeah, I've had a long day..."

* * *

The next day, Orihime found herself sitting in class balancing a pencil on her nose. Her professor walked in, shaking his head.

"Once again, only _**ONE**_ person got the answer right," he said. A collective moan was heard around the class. Orihime watched him unfold the star that she had turned in the day before. Her eyes widened. "For some reason, the person did not put their name on the paper, again, so I cannot give out the prize."

"Why don't you just randomly choose a person to give the prize out to?" Renji Abarai asked. The professor looked at him and gave a wry smile.

"If I did, it wouldn't be you, Abarai. Besides, I _**KNOW**_ it isn't you with your abominable penmanship. The lettering is far too... legible." The class snickered. "That's number five for the mysterious Star Student. I really wish they would come forward..."

Orihime sunk low in her chair, grabbing the pencil from her nose. She was glad she kept getting the answers to the questions right. It took a great effort to disguise her handwriting. She tried her best to make it sloppy, but she just wrote entirely too neat for that to happen. Sighing, she watched as another problem went up on the chalkboard. The professor began explaining it and Orihime turned her head to look out the window. She had never noticed it before, but the lab was right over the practice football field.

Lo and behold should she see a head of electric blue hair.

Orihime immediately stood up, eyes wide and gasping. Everyone looked at her.

"I hope you have just discovered the meaning to life, Miss Inoue." Orihime looked up towards the front of the room. Her professor was glaring at her through his glasses. She smiled shyly and sat back down.

"Oh, no. I just thought I saw something outside. That's all," she said.

"Yes. Let us hope it did not see you."

Orihime resisted the urge to scowl at her professor and just looked back out the window. The head of blue hair had disappeared down the field. Still, her mind wandered to another person.

_I suppose I could go see if he's awake after class today. It couldn't hurt_, she thought. _I think I'll take a taxi, though_.

* * *

Grimmjow walked out of the gym towards the parking lot where his car waited. He noticed a group girls smiling and waving at him. He smiled back and started to divert his path. However, a familiar head of red hair caught his eye. He saw the gray-eyed girl from the night before trying to hail a cab. Grimmjow looked at the group of girls and then back at the single, awkward redhead waving and whistling maniacally. Sighing, he waved at the girls and turned away to go to his car. He could hear their sighs of sorrow behind him and rolled his eyes.

_I know, ladies. But, Harribel says I need to be __**NICE**__ more often_, he thought dismally as he got in his car. He pulled up next to the redhead, making her hold her shirt down from the air being displaced. Then he rolled down the window.

"Going somewhere, chick?" Grimmjow asked.

Orihime leaned down and looked in the car. It was the guy with the blue hair: Grimmjow. She smiled at him.

"You're not a taxi," she said. Grimmjow snarled at her. "Are you going to see Ulquiorra?" she asked.

"I wasn't heading there at the moment. Why? You wanna see him right now?" Grimmjow raised a blue eyebrow. Orihime nodded quickly. Sighing, Grimmjow motioned for her to get in the car. Smiling, the redhead complied.

* * *

"Rukia?"

"Yeah, Ichigo?" Rukia asked, looking up at him.

"Did Orihime just get in the car with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?" Ichigo looked down at Rukia. Rukia turned and watched Grimmjow's car speed down the street. Sure enough, Orihime was in the passenger's seat.

"I guess she did. I didn't know they were friends," Rukia said.

"Grimmjow doesn't make friends with girls, Rukia," Ichigo said, shaking his head. Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes. She elbowed him in the stomach and started walking away. "What? What was that for?"

"Orihime's a big girl. Cut her some slack. Besides, I'm sure there's an _**EXCELLENT**_ reason she's with Grimmjow."

* * *

Orihime looked around Grimmjow's car. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, almost afraid to touch anything. His car was so... clean. It was surprisingly clean. And it smelled nice. It had that "new car" scent that Orihime loved. Grimmjow noticed her ogling of his car's interior and how she tried not to touch anything.

"I'm not going to bite. You can relax," Grimmjow said. Orihime jumped at the silence that was broken. She turned and saw Grimmjow giving her a sideways grin. "You're all tensed up over there. Are you always this quiet in a car? Bet your boyfriend must hate taking you places."

"Oh. I don't have a boyfriend," Orihime said. Grimmjow actually looked shocked.

"I'm surprised. Cute thing like you? You should be beating them off with a stick. I've seen you hanging around with Kurosaki's group. I'm pretty sure they beat them off for you without you even knowing they were there in the first place," he said. Orihime turned her head to hide a blush.

"No. It's nothing like that. Well, they _**DO**_ protect me. They always have. But it's not like they would keep me from dating. I just... don't," she said. She looked at Grimmjow when she was sure the redness in her cheeks had gone down.

"Whatever, chick. We're here." Grimmjow pulled up to the hospital. Orihime looked at the building and then at him. "Go."

"You're not coming?"

"Not at the moment. I have some things to take care of. I'll be back later on. Now get out of my car before I push you out," Grimmjow said. Orihime scooted out of the car quickly. As soon as she stepped out, Grimmjow had stepped on the gas.

_I wonder where he had to go in such a hurry_, Orihime thought. Shrugging, she turned to go inside the hospital.

* * *

As predicted, Ulquiorra was still unconscious in his pasty white hospital room. Orihime tiptoed in the room. She tiptoed a few feet before realizing that it made no sense to do what she was doing; he was unconscious and doped up. It was not like he could hear her, right? She pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat down.

_Dr. Unohana told me to talk to him. What do I say to someone who doesn't talk back_? she thought as she looked down at him.

"Um, hello again, Ulquiorra. It's Orihime. I'm back again. I just came to see if you'd awakened. Apparently you haven't. If you had, I'd actually be having this conversation to your face." Orihime sighed. "Then it would be even more awkward, I suppose."

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra's face. Some of his hair had come out from under the wrapping. It fell gently over his nose, splitting his face into two sections. It almost seemed like the natural order of things. Orihime sat forward and hesitantly lifted the hair from his face. He did not flinch at her touch. Sighing, she replaced the hair and sat back in her seat.

"Tell me something, Ulquiorra. How do you pay someone back for saving their life? I mean, you jumped in front of a car for me. That's pretty big stuff. I don't know if I can top that. I could take a bullet for you but for the life of me I don't know anyone who would willingly shoot you," Orihime said with a small laugh. She looked back at Ulquiorra to see if he had reacted to her silly words.

_No dice_.

"I suppose I could just tell you about myself. It's not like you'll retain any of this information, anyway. But, you already know that I'm Orihime Inoue. I go to Karakura University. I've been consistently on the Dean's List, though none of my friends know that. I think I'm a great cook, but for some reason no one will eat my food. Let's see... What else?" Orihime drummed her finger against her chin. "I've been told I have a really hard head."

Orihime whistled and propped her feet up on another chair. She started humming to herself as she thought about what she had "told" Ulquiorra so far.

"Ulquiorra, when you wake up you have to tell me what you want to be when you grow up." Then she laughed. "Well, I suppose in a way you're already grown. Maybe when you've finished school, I guess. I want to go to medical school. But, I don't want to go to medical school here. I want to leave and go far, far away. Get away from it all and start over. I think I've overstayed my welcome in Karakura. I don't think I'm happy here any..." Orihime stopped as she heard the door open behind her. She put her feet down and sat up.

A girl with sea foam green hair bounded into the room. Grimmjow was behind her, carrying a book bag and looking annoyed. The girl zoomed right past Orihime and to Ulquiorra's side.

"Ulquiorra! Ulquiorra!" she squealed.

"Nel, he can't hear you. Stop yelling before you get put out of the hospital," Grimmjow said. The girl looked up at him spitefully. Then she looked back down at Ulquiorra. Grimmjow rolled his eyes and went to find a seat. He looked over at Orihime. "That's Nel."

"Oh. Younger sister?" Orihime asked. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Something like that. Has the runt shown any signs of life other than breathing?"

"No. I've been trying to talk to him like Dr. Unohana said but he just lays there and... listens," Orihime said with a sigh. Nel looked up as Orihime spoke. It was as if she just noticed that there was another girl in the room.

"Who are you?" Nel asked.

"I'm Orihime. I'm..."

"Tia told me who you are. So you're the girl Ulquiorra saved?" Nel sounded angry as she approached Orihime. Orihime nodded slowly; Nel might have been younger, but she was more muscular and looked like she could put Orihime in the hospital with just her fists. It came as a surprise when Nel kneeled in front of her, starry-eyed and smiling. "That is so _**ROMANTIC**_!"

"Ro-Ro-Romantic?" Orihime fumbled out. Nel nodded happily and Grimmjow rolled his eyes again. "How is getting hit by a car romantic?"

"Because Ulquiorra _**SAVED**_ you. Instead of just walking away, you're still here waiting for him to wake up. This is just like something out of a movie," Nel said.

"No, no, Nel. It's nothing like that. I'm just waiting for him to wake up so that I can thank him. That's all. I feel really bad and stuff," Orihime said, waving her hands in the air. Nel nodded and shrugged.

"Well, if that's _**ALL**_..."

"Yes, it is. I don't even know Ulquiorra..." Orihime looked back at Ulquiorra.

_I'd probably like to, though_.

"Grimm, give me money for food," Nel said. Grimmjow glared at her but still handed her a few bills. Nel left the room the same way she came in: bouncing. Then Grimmjow looked over at Orihime and Ulquiorra.

"Did you tell your secrets to him?" he asked snidely. Orihime turned her head so fast Grimmjow swore he heard her neck pop. He simply grinned at her. Orihime looked away from him, shaking her head.

"No. I just told him about myself. It's not like he hears any of it," she said. Grimmjow shrugged.

"I wouldn't say that, chick. Maybe he does hear some of it. Maybe he's wandering in some dark desert with a moon and stars as his only light, trying to piece his broken body back together from dust," he said. Orihime stared at him for a moment.

"You have a very vivid imagination," she mumbled. Grimmjow bowed his head in gratitude. "Why don't you give it a try?"

"Because if I were Ulquiorra, I'd run as far as possible _**AWAY**_ from the talking voice if it was his voice I heard. We don't like each other, remember?"

"You seem to be quite concerned for him for a person who doesn't like him," Orihime said. Grimmjow shook his head.

"I said I didn't like him. I never said I didn't care about him." Grimmjow yawned. "He better start wishing on those little stars in his head to wake up. I'm not bringing Nelliel every day to see him."

"What makes you think it's night in Ulquiorra's mind?" Orihime asked, looking back at the unconscious student.

"Look at him. Do _**YOU**_ think there are blue skies and rainbows in his brain?"

* * *

_I'm wishing on a star to follow where you are. I'm wishing on a dream to follow what it means._


	3. 3: Save Room

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 3: Save Room**

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* * *

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"So, how do you know Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Orihime?" Ichigo asked.

They were all sitting in the university's student center, having lunch together. Orihime looked up from her book, totally blindsided by the question. She had not really discussed her connection with Grimmjow and what he had to do with Ulquiorra. Instead, she had pretty much just been disappearing with him after classes occasionally. This had been going on for about four weeks now.

"Oh, well... He's the roommate of Ulquiorra. You remember when I told you about Ulquiorra, right? Well, he takes me to see him every day. That's all. I don't want to walk all the way to the hospital," Orihime said with a weak smile. Tatsuki glared at Ichigo.

"You have a problem with Grimmjow, Ichigo?" she asked.

"Other than the fact that he's just as good at kendo as you are?" Rukia asked without looking up from her work. She slapped five with Tatsuki and they laughed at Ichigo's face. "Leave Orihime alone. I assure you Grimmjow isn't assaulting her."

"I just don't like him..."

"Yes, oh great Kurosaki. He who feels he must protect all females he knows. We're not all damsels in distress. I remember a time when you would cry if I so much as _**TAPPED**_ you." Tatsuki sighed wistfully and shook her head. "Those were the days..."

"Shut up, Tatsuki. So what if I think you all need protecting; especially Orihime? Not everyone can break noses like you and Rukia."

Orihime listened as her friends began talking around her again; something they often did. The conversation would begin with a question regarding her and somehow evolve into them fighting over her safety; like they were doing now. She sighed and looked back down at her anatomy book. It was not long until she saw a shadow looming over her and noticed the group had grown quiet.

"Hey, chick. Let's go." Orihime looked up. Grimmjow was standing next to her, looking irritated. "You coming or not?"

Orihime nodded numbly and began gathering her things. The rest of her friends stared at Grimmjow. Grimmjow turned his eyes away from Orihime to them. The only one who did not avert his eyes way Ichigo. Grimmjow smirked as Orihime finished and stood up. Grimmjow turned away and walked out.

"See? The guy is bad news. Look how he talks to you, Orihime," Ichigo said.

"Ichigo, I talk to _**YOU**_ like that," Rukia said dryly.

"It's fine, Ichigo. Grimmjow's actually really nice to me. Rukia, Tatsuki, I'll meet you back at the dorm," Orihime said. Tatsuki nodded and Rukia waved her hand as she socked Ichigo in the gut with her other hand. Orihime nodded and then walked off after Grimmjow. He'd already disappeared out of the center.

* * *

Outside in his car, Grimmjow drummed his finger against the steering wheel. He glanced at Orihime as she got in the car, bags and all. She grinned at him and he rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to flash that fake smile at me, chick." He put the car in drive and stepped on the gas. Orihime sighed and stopped smiling. She relaxed into the seat. "Are you like the baby of the group or something? They all looked like they wanted to rip me apart. Except the little one sitting by Kurosaki. She looked like she wanted to run as fast as possible in the other direction."

"That's Rukia. She's Ichigo's girlfriend. You are pretty scary, Grimmjow."

"Whatever. I've got kendo this afternoon. Maybe Harribel will give you a ride," Grimmjow said.

Orihime's eyes widened. She hated bothering Harribel for anything. It was not that Harribel was mean or unkind. Harribel was just very intimidating and had a tendency to make Orihime feel small; very, very small. Orihime had a feeling she would never have the kind of confidence Harribel exemplified on a regular basis.

"Harribel'll be there?" Orihime nearly whispered.

"Don't tell me you're scared of Harribel." Grimmjow thought for a moment. "I suppose she is a bit frightening."

* * *

Nel poked Ulquiorra's nose. She got no reaction. Frowning, she tapped his cheek. Still, she got no reaction. She was about to hold his nose and mouth closed when she heard a noise from the other side of the room.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? What are you trying to do? Kill him?"

"Shut up, Nnoitra. This always wakes you up when you fall asleep on me, you jerk," Nel said. Nnoitra Jiruga rolled his eyes and looked away from her. He went back to flipping through the channels on the TV. "You don't have to be here, you know. I'm just waiting for Harribel so she can take me home."

"What kind of, how do you put it, _**BOYFRIEND**_ would I be if I just left you here alone? You're the one always talking about me being _**NICER**_ to you. So just shut the hell up and take what you can fuckin' get," Nnoitra said. Nel pouted for a moment before looking back at Ulquiorra.

Harribel walked in the room. She took one glance at Nnoitra and grimaced. Nnoitra flashed a toothy grin at her. Harribel hated Nnoitra with a passion, but put up with him because for some unfathomable reason Nel enjoyed his company. She could not see how; the two were as different as night and day. Nnoitra also did not exactly treat Nel well, either. There had to be a reason Nel liked him. Harribel had yet to see what it was.

"Nelliel, are you ready?" Harribel asked. Nelliel turned and smiled at Harribel. "Well come on. You can leave, Nnoitra."

"I planned on it, Harribel." Nnoitra stood. Harribel resisted the urge to throw the nearest object at him. Instead she handed the keys to Nel. The two teenagers left the hospital room, throwing insults at one another, and Harribel walked over to Ulquiorra's bed.

She looked down at Ulquiorra. He still had shown no signs of waking. The one thing she did not understand was that he seemed to have "better" days when the redhead was around and spoke to him. Perhaps he liked her voice. It was odd that she was not there yet.

_I wonder where she is. Normally she's here by now_, Harribel thought. _The one time she didn't come Ulquiorra had a "bad" day_.

Just as Harribel finished thinking, Orihime entered the room. She was looking behind her. Harribel cringed as she could still hear Nel and Nnoitra arguing. Orihime finally looked at Harribel and smiled shyly. The girl always seemed to think Harribel would attack her.

"Will they always fight like that?" Orihime asked.

"I don't know why she stays around with him. He's... gross." Harribel shuddered again. "I'm taking Nelliel home." With that, Harribel was gone, leaving Orihime in the room alone with the comatose patient.

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra. After four weeks, she had become used to the routine. It was no longer awkward getting in position to talk to him. By now, his unconscious self knew almost everything about her; the entire story of her life. She left out a lot of what she really felt. She just skimmed the surface.

"What's up, Ulquiorra? It's me." Orihime looked down on him as she sat. She sighed and leaned forward on his bed. "Don't you think it's time you woke up? It's been about a month. I'm running out of things to tell you. What haven't I told you? What haven't I talked about?"

_My love life_...

"Huh?" Orihime blinked.

_Well, it's not like he's really listening_, she thought.

"You know, I've never had a boyfriend, Ulquiorra. Ever. I've never even kissed someone. Ever. Grimmjow told me I 'should be beating them off with a stick.' That was how he put it. I don't understand why. I don't think I'm all that great." Orihime sat back in her seat. "I did have a crush on someone for a long time. I don't know if I still like him. I shouldn't. He's one of my best friends and he's also my best friend's boyfriend. Am I a bad person for liking him?"

_No. Technically, I was there first_, she told herself. She sighed and looked back at Ulquiorra.

"I guess he's sort of the reason I don't date or anything. I've put so much energy into pining over him that I don't have time to pay attention to anyone else. He's always seen me as a friend; someone he's had to look out for. I'm nothing like his girlfriend. She's strong and smart and pretty. She can stand up and be heard. I guess that's the type he likes and I'm nothing like that. I'll never be..."

Orihime had not even realized that she had tears running down her face. She just let them run. No one was there watching her, anyway. She felt the inexplicable urge to cry. So, she started crying. And she cried. And she cried. She was crying for so long and so hard that she failed to see the fingers flinch on the bed.

* * *

It was off in the distance.

It was a sound he had heard before. It was pleasant because it was the sound that kept him going in the darkness. It was unpleasant because it sounded so sad. He wanted it to cease. The sound had been one of happiness for the longest. Why did it now sound so sad? He had to find out.

But how?

_How do I leave this darkness? I must leave this darkness_...

A sliver of light. More light. Even more light. Blurred vision...

* * *

Ulquiorra turned his head to the sad sound. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. His right arm was not obeying his commands for some reason. He would sort out that problem later. Right now, he wanted to figure out why the redhead by his bed was crying.

"Woman..."

Orihime choked on her tears. She leaned forward to catch her breath. She turned her head slowly. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. She could not figure out how to inhale or exhale. It was not until her lungs started to burn that she finally inhaled deeply and tore her gray eyes away from Ulquiorra's green ones.

"Woman..." Ulquiorra repeated in a scratchy voice. Orihime did not look back at him immediately, instead choosing to wipe her face off. "Why..." Ulquiorra mumbled. Orihime faced him, face dry but cheeks red and puffy.

"Ulquiorra! You're awake!" she said happily. "You just missed Harribel and Nel..."

"Where am I?" Ulquiorra asked, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Karakura Memorial Hospital. Do you remember what happened?" Orihime asked. She began searching for the call button. When she found it, she made to press it.

"Wait," Ulquiorra said. Orihime looked at him, her finger hovering over the button. "Why?" he asked. Orihime raised an eyebrow.

"Why what?"

"Why were you crying?" he asked. Orihime bit her lip, thinking about her answer. "I... I... I told you not to cry," Ulquiorra mumbled. He began to blink slowly. Orihime stared at him for a moment as he closed his eyes. He sighed. Orihime noticed his heart rate and blood pressure dropping. She immediately pressed the button.

Less than thirty seconds later, Orihime found herself outside the room, looking in. She had both hands up against the window, biting the inside of her lip, and bouncing up on her toes. She was worried. He had only been awake for three minutes at the most.

_And he wanted to know why I was crying_, Orihime thought. Then her eyebrows furrowed. _He remembered me. He had to have remembered me_... Her thoughts trailed off as she watched Dr. Kotetsu come out of the room. Orihime turned and faced her, anxiety written all over her features.

"How is he?" Orihime blurted out.

"Alive. He just got excited and it appeared that it was a bit much for his system to handle all at once. I didn't expect him to wake up quite so... lucid. If it weren't for the fact that he's so injured, I'd let him go home." Dr. Kotetsu smiled. "Once they've settled him, you can go back in," she said. Orihime let out a long sigh of relief and nodded as Dr. Kotetsu walked away.

* * *

The oxygen mask was uncomfortable. Ulquiorra was sure he did not like it. Unfortunately, with both arms in casts, there was nothing he could do to remedy that problem. His entire body was pretty much in a cast. He had almost died a few minutes ago and all he could think about was how uncomfortable the oxygen mask was on his face.

_I can breathe just fine now. Is it really necessary that I have this thing on_? he thought. He tried to turn his head as the door opened but the huge pillows that the nurses had put up against his back would not allow him to. That was another thing. It felt like there was some sort of rod in his back. _What the hell happened to me exactly_?

The crying redhead reappeared. Ulquiorra felt like he knew her name. In fact, he was sure he knew her name. He watched her converse with the nurse for a moment. As he listened to her voice, he recognized it. But from where? He remembered her face. He had once told her not to cry. Where had he seen her crying? He stared blankly at her as she sat down next to his bed. Her eyes immediately went to her hands.

"Your name..." Ulquiorra said through the mask. She glanced up at him slowly. "Your name is... Orihime," he said.

Orihime gaped. She must have been holding her mouth open for a few minutes. However, Ulquiorra's gaze never left hers. She nodded and faced him with renewed confidence. She finally closed her mouth.

"How did you know that? Did the doctor or nurses tell you?" Orihime asked.

"No. I remember hearing it somewhere," Ulquiorra answered. "Why were you crying?" He went back to his question from before. Orihime went back to biting her lip. She averted her eyes.

_Should I tell him_?

"You were talking about someone; someone who is strong," Ulquiorra muttered in the mask. Orihime narrowed her eyes. He was barely audible, but she heard him loud and clear.

_He heard me even though he was unconscious_, she thought. _How_?

"How do you remember me?" Orihime asked.

"You are the inattentive woman from the street. The last time I saw you, you were crying. I open my eyes again and you were doing what I told you not to do," Ulquiorra said. "You said I've been here a month?"

"Yes... but you were asleep when I did..."

"I heard you." He shifted slightly and rested his head so that he could look at her better.

For some reason, she was at ease. Orihime had expected that when she finally spoke to Ulquiorra that there would be a sense of awkwardness. Instead, she felt incredibly at ease. Even his piercing gaze did not make her feel nervous. It was by no means a "warm" look he was giving her. It was probably the exact opposite. She should have been deterred, but she was not uncomfortable.

"So, it worked," Orihime said quietly. She saw him try to move the mask with his face against the pillow. Orihime turned and looked out the window. She did not see anyone coming. She moved forward and took the mask down from Ulquiorra's face. He watched her curiously.

"What worked?"

"Dr. Unohana told me to talk to you. I've been here every day since the accident, except for one. I know we don't know each other, but I really wanted to thank you. It's not every day someone throws himself in front of a car for you," Orihime said. "If only you'd woken up ten minutes earlier you would've seen Nel and Harribel."

"Your crying," Ulquiorra said. Orihime appeared confused. "Your crying is apparently what pulled me out of that coma. I didn't like the sound." Another moment of silence passed as Orihime nodded her head. "Woman."

"Huh?" Orihime asked. She glanced back up at Ulquiorra. He only had one eye on her as his left eye was obscured by the massive pillow he was propped up against.

"I dislike your tears. I do not like the sound you make..."

"I know. I must sound pretty annoying, huh?" Orihime said with a false laugh.

"No. Your voice is not made for such a miserable sound. You should be singing; not crying. Why are you so sad?" Ulquiorra asked. He did not sound particularly interested. It sounded as if he was asking because she was there. But the eye that Orihime could see held something akin to curiosity in it.

_Did he just compliment me? He said I have a nice voice. No one's ever said that to me before_, Orihime thought. She could feel her face heating up and immediately looked away, trying in vain to hide the blush. Ulquiorra managed to lift his head a bit. Before he said something towards her blush, the door opened behind Orihime and the blue-haired athlete entered.

Grimmjow stopped when he saw the green eyes set on him. It took a few moments for him to come to conclusion that Ulquiorra was staring at him. He crossed his arms and shook his head. He made his way towards a chair across the room. He sat down hard and faced Ulquiorra. They stared at one another, acknowledging one another in silence. Orihime looked between the two, wondering if either was going to speak. After a moment, Grimmjow smirked.

"Took you long enough," he said. He looked away towards Orihime. "Looks like all that jabbering you did worked. Did you tell him?" he asked.

"Tell me what?" Ulquiorra asked. Orihime looked back Ulquiorra.

"I wanted to thank you, remember? So, tha..."

"Your gratitude is not needed, woman. I just did what was necessary at the time," Ulquiorra said dryly. Grimmjow snorted from across the room and Ulquiorra shot him a look of death.

"But, you're all hurt because of..."

"It's fine. I'm alive, aren't I?" Ulquiorra turned his attention back to Orihime. She nodded.

"How'd you wake up?" Grimmjow asked suddenly.

"She was crying," Ulquiorra said before Orihime could stop him. She lowered her head, trying to shrink away from the piercing blue eyes she knew were glaring at her. Ulquiorra was quick to catch on. "You know why she was crying?"

"If I had to guess I'd say it had something to do with her friends," Grimmjow muttered.

"Your friends cause you to cry?" Ulquiorra glanced at Orihime. She was shaking her head fervently.

"I was just frustrated. I wasn't expecting you to wake up, either." Then she glared at Grimmjow. The mischievous student just grinned at her. She frowned at him and looked back at Ulquiorra. "My feelings just got all twisted up. Sometimes crying helps it. You know... I'll be right back. I'm going to get something to eat."

Orihime stood up and hastily left the hospital room, leaving the two men alone. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and relaxed back into the pillows. His back was so stiff. He could tell Grimmjow was still looking at him. He opened his right eye and tried in vain to set that electric blue stuff atop Grimmjow's head aflame. His intense expression only led Grimmjow to grin that infuriating grin of his.

"What are you looking at, trash?" Ulquiorra asked irritably.

"Not much right now," Grimmjow retorted. "But, I think the chick likes you."

Ulquiorra opened both eyes. He only appeared shocked for a moment, but it was long enough for Grimmjow to catch on. Realizing his mistake, Ulquiorra looked away from him quickly. Grimmjow laughed low in his throat and sat back in his chair.

"That's ridiculous. She doesn't even know me."

"But I bet she wants to get to know you."

Orihime returned holding a bag of chips. She returned silently to her seat. She noticed the displeased look that Ulquiorra was giving Grimmjow. Grimmjow seemed pretty at ease, but when did he ever seem ill-at-ease?

"What's wrong, Ulquiorra?" Orihime asked as she opened the bag of chips. Ulquiorra turned his eyes towards her.

"Nothing that can't be fixed with a phone call," he muttered. Orihime did not dwell on what that meant, but she assumed it had something to do with him calling Harribel to tattle on Grimmjow. So, she simply nodded and began eating.

"Hey, chick. Will you still be coming around now that the green-eyed bugger is awake?" Grimmjow asked.

Orihime slowed the chewing on her chips. She had not really thought about what would happen once Ulquiorra _**DID**_ wake. Now that he was staring at her with big eyes, awaiting her answer, she had no idea what to say. She would not mind getting to know him for real. After all, he knew everything about her even if it was on a subconscious level. Still, she wanted to stay around. But, she did not want to seem too eager.

"Only if Ulquiorra wants me to stay around. I mean, I did sorta push him in front of a car..."

"Ulquiorra threw himself in front of a car," Grimmjow reiterated.

"Shut up, trash."

"Grimmjow's trash?" Orihime looked between the two while chewing her chips.

"Just stating the truth, dipshit. Now do you wanna see the chick again or what?" Grimmjow pried. Ulquiorra sighed and relaxed into his pillows.

"She is free to do as she wishes. She is not bound to this place or me," he said. Grimmjow looked back at Orihime. She was looking at Ulquiorra.

"I'll stay. I'll come back. I've grown a little... attached, I suppose." She smiled at him. He had a strange look upon his face. Orihime tried not to laugh at him and continued to speak. "Besides, I said I would take you out for ice cream once you got out of here."

* * *

_Save room for my love. Save room for a moment to be with me._


	4. 4: Lie to Me

**AN: I've been asked about the sentences I leave at the end a lot. No, I do not make them up. I WISH I was that clever. The titles of the chapters are based on songs, much like the title of the story. The last sentence/sentences are usually lines from said song. (And everyone go read _Sogy-Chan & Koto-Chan's Day Out_! It's a cute little one-shot featuring the cutest zanpakuto ever. **shameless plug over**)  
**

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* * *

**

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 4: Lie to Me**

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* * *

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"You look happier than usual," Tatsuki said as Orihime walked in the dormitory. The redhead was practically beaming with delight. Orihime sat on her bed, smiling. Tatsuki just nodded at her and went back to her studying.

"Are you going to tell us what it is that's got you all sparkly?" Rukia asked.

"Sure. Ulquiorra woke up today," Orihime said happily. "Isn't that great?"

"Splendid. What's he like? Is he nice or a complete jerk?" Tatsuki asked, taking a seat on Orihime's bed.

Orihime smiled and glanced up at the ceiling, remembering Ulquiorra. "Well, I wouldn't say he's nice, but I wouldn't say he's mean. He's blunt. He wouldn't accept my apology. I'm going to see him again," she said. She looked back down at Rukia and Tatsuki. They were giving her incredulous looks.

"So I would want to smash his face in if I had a conversation with him?" Rukia asked. Orihime shrugged and Rukia threw her hands up. "Orihime, you have the weirdest taste in friends."

"Hey! I'm friends with all of you, aren't I?" Orihime shot back.

"Exactly my point. You have us..."

"... and then you have Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ulquiorra Cifer," Tatsuki said with a laugh.

Orihime sighed. "Hey! Don't make fun of Grimmjow. He's a nice guy once you get past the 'tough guy' exterior. He's a lot like Ichigo, if you think about it. That's probably why I find it so easy to get along with him. As for Ulquiorra..." Orihime trailed off. "I find it easy to be around him."

"Hime, he's been awake for a day. You barely know him as a conscious person," Tatsuki said.

"It's hard to explain," Orihime whispered.

* * *

Ulquiorra stared at his breakfast the next day. Apparently this was the first time in a month he would eat solid food. Hospital food had a reputation for being a little less than pleasant and this was no exception. He stared at the tray given to him with mild disdain before moving his left arm up. The arm was barely functional and his pinky and ring fingers were completely useless. But he was determined to do this alone.

_I will not call that wretched nurse in here. I will not be fed like a child_, Ulquiorra thought stubbornly. The only other problem besides his barely functional appendages was the fact that he was right-handed. _This will be an adventure_.

Twenty minutes later, Dr. Unohana entered followed by Dr. Kotetsu. For a moment, all they could do was stare at the young man named Ulquiorra Cifer.

Ulquiorra was sitting in his bed, straight up. His tray was devoid of food. He looked exhausted, but he was determinedly trying to stab a juice box open with the three fingers on his left hand that were working. He apparently had not yet noticed the two doctors.

Dr. Unohana walked forward and took the juice box from Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra glared up at her. She simply smiled back and opened the box for him. She held it out to him and he tried to take it from her. She retracted it, letting him know that she was not going to let him hold it. Ulquiorra sighed and complied with her wish to hold it for him as he drank.

"I'm surprised you managed to feed yourself with only three fingers. Why did the nurse leave you in here alone, Mr. Cifer?" Dr. Unohana asked, pulling the box back for a moment.

"I told her to. Please call me Ulquiorra."

"From now on, the nurse will help feed you until at least one of your arms are fully functional, Ulquiorra," Dr. Unohana said firmly.

"That is unnecessary. I can do..."

"From now on," Dr. Unohana gave Ulquiorra the box again with a smile, "the nurse will help feed you until at least one of your arms are fully functional, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra did not know what made him do it. Maybe it was the inexplicable fear he suddenly felt for the woman standing before him; something told him that maybe he should not have made her repeat herself. He swallowed the juice in his mouth and nodded obediently.

"Good. Now, I'm sure you've noticed the tight, rod-like feeling coming from your back. Would you care to know what that is?" Dr. Unohana asked. She pushed the tray away. Ulquiorra nodded again and she looked at Dr. Kotetsu.

"You crushed several vertebrae in your back; most in the thoracic and lumbar areas. That's..."

"The ribs, chest, and pelvis," Ulquiorra mumbled.

Dr. Kotetsu seemed surprised. "Um, yes. Well, you are very lucky that no damage was done to your spinal cord. However, you will need a lot of physical therapy once you heal up. You're coming along quite well considering your injuries. In another few weeks those casts should be able to come off."

"You'll be able to meet your physical therapists later on. I'll make sure to get you the best," Dr. Unohana said. "You should rest, Ulquiorra. I know eating by yourself took a lot out of you." With that, she swept out of the room with Dr. Kotetsu.

Ulquiorra watched the women leave, glaring daggers in the back of Dr. Unohana's head. Then he relaxed a bit in his too soft pillows. Actually, he could not tell if they were too soft or too firm. She was right though; he was exhausted from feeding himself. Maybe he should listen to her. He blinked a few times and fell back asleep.

* * *

Outside the room, Dr. Kotetsu took her eyes off of Ulquiorra. She caught up with Dr. Unohana. The elder doctor was walking at her own pace with a serene look on her face.

"Dr. Unohana, there is one thing I really don't understand about Ulquiorra's recovery; or Ulquiorra period," she said.

"What is it, Isane?"

"Isn't he healing at an insanely fast rate? I mean, he came here practically dead. In surgery, he almost died... twice. Then the fact that he isn't paralyzed from the neck down is a miracle in and of itself. This... _**HE**_ doesn't make sense," Dr. Kotetsu said.

Dr. Unohana only smiled. "I prefer to think of Ulquiorra as our little phenomenon." She looked at Dr. Kotetsu. "The fact that he survived such a catastrophe and will make a full recovery only means that there is obviously some purpose he has yet to fulfill in this world; it's just not his time to go."

* * *

Without a doubt, history was the most boring class Orihime had. She had always thought being "bored to tears" was a metaphor and not something that could actually happen. Apparently, she had been mistaken. Orihime's eyes had actually begun to water in the middle of the lecture her professor was giving. Finding this incredibly funny, she had to laugh as she wiped her eyes furiously.

"Do you find what I'm saying funny, Miss Inoue?"

Orihime looked towards the front of the lecture hall quickly. She was still wiping her eyes. The old man at the front was eyeing her evilly and like he was going to attack her. For some reason, she could picture him sitting on a throne, looking like the Grim Reaper with a crown on his head. She proceeded to giggle some more.

_Where did that come from_? she tried in vain to hide her giggles. She knew the whole class was watching her now.

"Miss Inoue!" the old man yelled.

"I'm sorry, Professor Luisenbarn. I'm just... It's just... I've gotta go!" Orihime gathered her things while still laughing. She rushed down the stairs. As she passed the old man, he gave her a glare that could melt glaciers and she pictured the skeleton with a crown again. She burst into giggles. "I'm so sorry, Professor Luisenbarn. I'll be better behaved tomorrow, I promise!" She ran out of the room.

As Orihime was walking out of the building, she passed bulletin board for a medical school abroad. The medical school was clear on the other side of the world.

_But it's far. I want to start over. Plus, they wouldn't be advertising it if it wasn't a good school_, Orihime rationalized. She took a brochure and left. _Bored to tears... That was hysterical_.

"What are you so giddy about?" Grimmjow was coming down the walkway. As usual, there were a pack of girls with him. He mumbled something to all them. They pouted and gave Orihime scathing glares before dispersing. Grimmjow turned his attention back to Orihime. "You gonna answer or stand there like a gaping fish?"

"I was just thinking. That's all. I'll probably have to do some major sucking up to Professor Luisenbarn," Orihime said with a chuckle.

"For what?" Grimmjow asked and Orihime explained what happened. "And here I thought you were the type to sit and be the teacher's pet. I'm surprised you're taking a walk on the wild side," he said.

"I am not taking a 'walk on the wild side.' I just couldn't stop laughing. If you pictured what I pictured, you'd be laughing, too." Orihime held up the brochure. "Plus, I found this. I've always wanted to go to medical school."

Grimmjow took the brochure from her. He read it and raised a blue eyebrow. Then he handed it back to her. "Why so far away? Who are you running from?"

"I am not running from anyone. I've always wanted to study abroad."

Grimmjow shrugged and walked past Orihime. "Whatever you say, chick."

* * *

The right side of Ulquiorra's head itched. It was unbearable. He turned his head stiffly into the pillow to try and scratch it. All he succeeded in doing was mussing his hair because of the rigidity of his back. His arm would not allow him to simply scratch it and his left arm could not reach. There was no way in hell the nurse was coming within ten feet of his head.

_That woman should fear me_, Ulquiorra thought. After lunch, he was sure she did. _But this itch must stop. I know it's cliché, but I have an itch and it needs to be scratched_.

Luckily for Ulquiorra, at that moment Orihime walked in. She was wearing a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. When she saw the slight distressed state Ulquiorra was in, it disappeared. For reasons unknown to Ulquiorra, he felt bad for making that smile disappear.

"What's wrong, Ulquiorra? Are you hurt? Well, of course you're hurt. But, do you feel pain or something? Do I need to call the nurse?" Orihime walked forward quickly, discarding her purse and tote bag.

Ulquiorra managed to shake his head. "My head itches," he said dryly.

Orihime nodded. She stepped up to the side of his bed. She placed both hands on either side of his head and began to scratch gently. She smiled when she noticed him relax slightly to his right, her left. Apparently, that was where the itch had been. When she stopped, she sat down and looked at him.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you," Ulquiorra said quietly.

"Why didn't you just call the nurse? She's right outside."

"That woman is evil. The only women that work here that I want coming in here are Dr. Unohana and Dr. Kotetsu."

Orihime stared at him blankly for a moment. Then she started giggling. She put her hands up to her face to try and hide her giggles. She could feel Ulquiorra's eyes on her and turned away from him as she tried to calm herself.

"What is so funny, woman?" Ulquiorra asked. He sounded somewhat annoyed. She was laughing at him. He did not like being laughed at.

Orihime calmed herself and faced Ulquiorra again. "You just looked like a spoiled little kid. That's all. You might as well have been pouting. It was... cute," she said.

Ulquiorra scoffed and turned his eyes away from her. "I am not 'cute.'"

"Yes, you are," Orihime said.

"There is nothing 'cute' about me. Or 'adorable' or 'delightful.' Do not even try to use different words for it," he said.

It was Orihime's turn to pout. Still, she racked her brain for a different word. She smiled and leaned forward in her chair.

"What about," she grew closer to his ear, "charming?" she whispered.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened considerably. He glared at her and saw her eyes were dancing in triumph. The restrictions of his casts did him no favors; he could not turn away from her properly.

"You don't deny that you are charming? I'm shocked," Orihime said.

"What is the point? You will only come up with another word for me to deny. This could go on all afternoon," Ulquiorra said.

"You're right. I'm glad that you see it my way. Before I forget, I think I found where I want to go to medical school." Orihime pulled out the brochure she got earlier. She held it up for Ulquiorra to see. "See! It's abroad."

Ulquiorra read the name of the school: Johns Hopkins University. The school was on the other side of the world... in the US. Why did she want to go so far? Ulquiorra suddenly had a painful relapse of something Orihime had said to him. At first it sounded muffled, then it became clearer.

"... _I want to go to medical school. But, I don't want to go to medical school here. I want to leave and go far, far away. Get away from it all and start over. I think I've overstayed my welcome in Karakura. I don't think I'm happy here any_..."

"Is something wrong, Ulquiorra? Do you need me to ge..."

"Why do you think you've overstayed your welcome here in Karakura?" he asked suddenly.

Orihime's mouth snapped shut. How was he remembering everything she had said to him while he was unconscious? First her name and now the fact that she thought she had overstayed her welcome? All Orihime could do was laugh nervously and put some of her hair behind her ear, a nervous tick she had. In one day, Ulquiorra had picked up on that.

"Where did you get something like that from? I don't think that. I love living here," Orihime said as convincingly as possible but even she did not believe her own voice. She doubted Ulquiorra would. He probably did not believe her by her posture.

"You are lying. I'm sure even Grimmjow could tell that. What is making you unhappy?" he asked. She did not seem willing to tell him, as all she did was stare at her fingers.

_Perhaps it is directly related to the reason she was crying. I know she was lying about the reason she was crying. It must be related_, Ulquiorra thought.

"You may keep secrets to yourself." Ulquiorra looked back ahead of him. "I, too, wish to attend medical school. You asked that of me as well," he said.

Orihime glanced back up at him. She was still astounded at how much he was remembering. She prayed that he would not remember what she had said right before he woke up. It was odd that he had not. She thought of things that could possibly trigger that memory.

_I never said anyone's name, I don't think. So I guess there's no harm in telling him that. I don't know what would trigger it. I think I'll just have to be very careful_, she thought.

"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"

"A psychiatrist," he responded dully. He turned his eyes towards Orihime. "And you?"

"Well, I don't know. Right now I'm caught between trauma surgeon and obstetrician. I've always wanted to either save lives or bring life into this world. You know?" Orihime said with a dreamy smile on her face.

Ulquiorra continued to give her the same bored look. He sighed and looked away for a moment. "You did a fine job with me," he said.

For a moment, it was hard to discern whether he was being serious or sarcastic. He said everything in the same bland monotone that Orihime found it hard tell what he meant. Then he looked back at her. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"That wasn't funny, Ulquiorra." She stuck her nose in the air. "I am not amused."

"Who's acting like a spoiled little child now?"

* * *

**Two weeks later...**

Tatsuki looked over at Orihime as they jogged up the riverbank. She was between her and Rukia. Tatsuki caught Rukia's eye. Rukia shrugged her shoulders and gestured for Tatsuki to speak. Tatsuki shook her head and told Rukia to do it. Sighing, Rukia looked up at Orihime.

"So, Orihime..."

"Yes, Rukia?" Orihime asked, looking down at the smaller girl.

Rukia swallowed. She had never been nervous to speak to Orihime before. Why was she nervous now?

_No idea. What are the chances that she'll actually get mad at me_?

"So, how is Ulquiorra's recovery coming along? Do you still go see him every day?" Rukia asked.

Orihime nodded. "Yep. He finally got one cast off his right arm. So he can at least do some schoolwork with it. He's a little cranky because he's so behind. But Ulquiorra's really smart. If anyone can catch up, it's him," she said. "I had no idea, but he's in, like, two of my classes. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, that is weird. How would you not know that he's in your classes?" Tatsuki asked.

Orihime shrugged. "You'd have to know Ulquiorra to figure that one out. He's not exactly the type to stand out in a crowd. He doesn't like being the center of attention. He doesn't even like it when Nel fawns over him..."

"Nel?" both Rukia and Tatsuki asked.

"Oh! Nel is like Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's younger sister. Her real name is Nelliel Tu Overskank? Odershank? Oder... Well, it's Nelliel. She goes to the high school. She also has this horrible boyfriend, but she likes him so..." Orihime trailed off.

"You seem really dedicated to this guy," Rukia said.

"Dedicated? Dedicated like what?" Orihime asked. She looked between her friends. They were just smiling and looking ahead of them. "Hey! Come on, you two! Tell me!"

"You liiiike him," Rukia said.

"I do..." Orihime made to refuse.

"Imagine the distress Chizuru will feel once she finds out her _**HIME**_ has fallen for another and is officially off the market," Tatsuki said wistfully.

"I do not like Ulquiorra like... that," Orihime said defensively.

_Do I_?

"Yeah right. If that's so, for whom did you destroy the dorm kitchen making anpan for?" Rukia asked.

_Man! This is getting bad_. Orihime began to turn red. She started to jog faster but Rukia and Tatsuki easily caught up with her. _Dang it_!

"You only make anpan for festivals and for Ichigo's birthday. Who warrants your _**SPECIAL**_ dessert?" Tatsuki leaned back and looked at Rukia. She made a gagging motion. Rukia tried to hide her snicker.

"I made it for Ulquiorra, if you must know. But it's only because he doesn't like the hospital's food. So, I told him that I would bring him something." She ran ahead of her friends, stopped, and turned around. "And I did not destroy the dorm kitchen!"

* * *

Ulquiorra stared at the two women who stood in his room. Harribel sat at the end of his bed, also sizing up the women. Out of everyone in his makeshift family, he had to say that Harribel was one of two people who probably understood what he was thinking the best. That was why she was there to see his new physical therapists along with him.

"Hello, Mr. Cifer and Ms. Harribel. I'm Yoruichi Shihouin and this sly young fox to my left is Soifon. We will be your new physical therapists to help get you back on your feet," the one with violet hair and golden eyes said. She reminded Ulquiorra vaguely of a cat. Even when she walked there was a feline elegance she possessed. The other one, on the other hand...

_I'm sure Grimmjow will come up with a creative way to describe the shorter one_, Ulquiorra thought flatly.

"What does this therapy entail?" Harribel asked, seeing that Ulquiorra was not in one of his talking moods.

"Well, he's only just regained use of his arms. We should not have to worry much about that. However, different parts of the spine control different parts of the body. The vertebrae that Mr. Cifer..."

"Ulquiorra, please," Ulquiorra murmured.

"Right. The vertebrae that Ulquiorra broke could have damaged the spinal cord. Right now, it doesn't appear that he is in any way paralyzed..."

Soifon lifted Ulquiorra's sheet and looked at his left leg. It was still in a cast, albeit a smaller one. His big toe was peeping out of it. She grabbed it a pinched. Ulquiorra frowned and glared at her but did not make a sound. Soifon met his eyes.

"Did you feel that?" she asked.

"What. Do. You. Think?" Ulquiorra said through grit teeth.

Soifon nodded. "Wouldn't want you to atrophy, would we?"

"I'm not. Trust me," Ulquiorra said.

"So you're saying that he'll need to learn to walk again?" Harribel asked Yoruichi.

This got Ulquiorra's attention. _Learn to walk again? How do you forget_?

As if reading his mind, Soifon spoke up. "You didn't forget how. Your muscles cannot support you. That is where we come in..."

And that was when Grimmjow and Orihime came in. Orihime was carrying a big brown paper bag. Ulquiorra stared at it for a moment. Then he noticed Grimmjow eyeing his new physical therapists. His eye lingered on the smaller one for a moment before looking at Harribel and taking a seat next to her.

"Well, that's all for today. Any questions, Ulquiorra?" Yoruichi asked. He shook his head. "Well, here's my card. Call me if you do come up with any questions. If some guy answers the phone, tell him he's the smartest man in the world to get him to give the phone to me."

Soifon scoffed. "Whatever. His intelligence only extends as far as his..."

"Bye!" Yoruichi pulled Soifon out of the room with her.

Orihime took Yoruichi's vacated seat on his bed. "Who were they?" she asked.

"My new physical therapists." Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow. "I think the one with violet hair resembles a cat," he said.

Grimmjow nodded. "I agree. She has this sway to her walk. It's almost like she prances. Anything about the short one?"

"Nothing. I was hoping you could come up with something."

Grimmjow appeared thoughtful. Then his signature grin spread across his face. "A hornet. Small and fiery."

Orihime looked at Harribel, who was just shaking her head. She stood up.

"I will take my leave now. Good day, Orihime." Harribel nodded at the college student.

"Bye-bye, Tia." Orihime watched her leave. Then she opened up the bag. "I brought you something special, Ulquiorra!" she said happily.

Ulquiorra could smell whatever she had in the bag. It was a cross between sweet and... sticky.

_How can sticky have a smell_? Ulquiorra thought.

Orihime produced a big, oddly-shaped sweet bun. She placed it on a paper plate that had also appeared out of the bag. She handed it to Ulquiorra with a beaming smile on her face. Then she took another one out and did the same with Grimmjow. She served herself last. She noticed that Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were staring at their buns with interest.

"It's anpan. It has red bean paste inside. I was up last night making them. Rukia and Tatsuki said I destroyed the dorm kitchen, but I didn't. I might've made a little, teensy mess..." Orihime reached in her purse and produced a bottle of chocolate syrup. She squirted some all over her anpan. She looked back at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. "Do you two want any?"

Grimmjow shook his head quickly. "I'm good." He took a bite of his and started to chew. After a few chews, he looked up at Orihime. She was still smiling at him and biting into her own chocolate-covered anpan.

"Good, right?" she asked.

Grimmjow managed to smirk and give her a thumbs-up.

Ulquiorra resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He a bite of his and started to chew. Orihime looked over at him. He managed to swallow it. He was not going to spit it out in front of her. However, he was going to tell her what he thought of it.

"Did you like it?" Orihime asked.

"No," Ulquiorra said plainly.

Orihime's eyes widened. She stared at him in what could be perceived as shock. She swallowed her own food and blinked a few times. "Wha-Wha-What?" she whispered.

"I said that I didn't like it."

"Why not? What was wrong with it?" she asked. She really wanted to know. She had been up all night making the snack for him and he had just blatantly told her he did not like it. She wanted to know why.

"Would you prefer a lie or the truth?" Ulquiorra asked monotonously.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. _Oh boy. Here it comes_.

"I... want the truth. Why would I want a lie?" Orihime asked. In her heart, she knew that she probably would have preferred a lie. However, Ulquiorra was not the type of person to just lie to her.

But did she want the truth?

"It's barely edible. I don't know how Grimmjow managed to lie to your face about it and I don't know why he did. Still, I'm not going to. I think you deserve to know that your cooking is horrible..." Ulquiorra had another flashback of something Orihime had said.

"_I think I'm a great cook, but for some reason no one will eat my food_..."

"You think you're a great cook. It hasn't ever occurred to you why no one will eat your food?" he asked.

Orihime had thought about it. Maybe she was just in a bit of denial. Or perhaps she just preferred not to notice when her friends always politely declined to taste any of her new concoctions. She stared into Ulquiorra's eyes for a few more seconds until she could not make him out anymore. She blinked and felt the warm stream running down her face. Without another word she stood up and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Grimmjow glared at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra stared impassively back. He had not done anything wrong. He had simply told her the truth. Now he had Grimmjow glaring bloody murder at him.

"Stop looking at me like that," he said.

"You have no problem with the fact that you just sent her out of here crying like a banshee?" Grimmjow asked.

Ulquiorra looked away from him. "It's not like I could go after her in my condition," he mumbled mostly to himself. When he turned his head again, he saw that Grimmjow had left.

* * *

Orihime had only gotten to the end of the hallway before she sank down on the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head. She did not know if she was humiliated or sad or both. She just wanted to disappear at the moment.

_Yes. Disappearing sounds nice_...

Was she crying because Ulquiorra told her the truth or was she crying because her friends had refrained from doing so for so long?

_Who knows anymore. I don't even know why I cry. I don't even know what I_...

"Hey, chick." Grimmjow sat down next to her. "You done being all weepy?" he asked gruffly.

"Is Ulquiorra done being _**MEAN**_?" she asked.

"He wasn't being mean. He was being," Grimmjow sighed, "Ulquiorra. He doesn't sugarcoat things. He wasn't trying to hurt your feelings. I think he was trying to spare them, actually."

Orihime raised an eyebrow. "Spare my feelings? He just told me my cooking is the scourge of the universe; the bane of my existence. How is that _**SPARING**_ my feelings?" Orihime asked sarcastically.

"So she does have fire in her." Grimmjow smirked. "But he was saying those things so you wouldn't have to hear them from someone else; someone you don't know. Granted, it probably came out in a less-than-tactful way. But you gotta understand he means well."

Orihime stared at Grimmjow for a moment. "And how do you know that?"

"Harribel's always put it this way: I'm every emotion Ulquiorra doesn't feel, which is why we don't get along. But, that's what makes me the only one who really understands him. Besides her, of course." Grimmjow stood up and extended his hand to Orihime. "Now are you _**BOTH**_ gonna stop being babies and talk to one another?"

Orihime took his hand and stood up. "Sure."

Grimmjow looked down at Orihime while they walked back. He braced himself. "And for the record, it was pretty nasty."

* * *

Ulquiorra turned his head as Grimmjow's face slammed against the window of the room. Then Orihime walked through the door. She shut it and walked back to her seat. For a moment, they sat in silence.

"I'm..."

"I don't want an apology." Orihime took a deep breath. "Maybe my food is... less than pleasurable to other people, but I like it. So, I will not change a thing. But if you know something you want me to make for you, I will look up the recipe and not make it off memory. Okay?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "Still, I need to ask for your forgiveness. I told you that I disliked your tears, and yet I was the one who caused your tears today. I am sorry."

Orihime smiled. She moved her chair closer to Ulquiorra and held out her hand. "Friends?" she asked.

Ulquiorra took her hand in his own and shook it. "Friends," he said slowly.

Orihime giggled. "I think we just had our first fight. And it was over anpan!"

* * *

_I don't wanna know what I know to be true,  
What I need you to do, tell me another lie..._


	5. 5: Smash into You

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 5: Smash into You**

**

* * *

**

Orihime looked at the two dishes that she made. They were exactly the same. She had decided to make dinner that night for Rukia and Tatsuki. Since fall was coming, she made them imoni soup. She usually made the soup from memory, but she wanted to try something new.

In one bowl, Orihime had the imoni she made from memory. In the other, she had the one she made from a recipe she found in a book. Just to be sure that they indeed tasted different, she had used Grimmjow as her taste-tester.

He correctly confirmed which one was hers and which one was the recipe.

_Well, at least he told me the truth. I think mine tastes better than the recipe, personally. The recipe is way too... bland_, Orihime thought.

"Orihime! We're home!" came Tatsuki's voice.

The two girls walked into the main room of their apartment-like dorm. They found Orihime standing by the table with two bowls neatly placed on the table. Orihime was standing by the table, smiling. Rukia and Tatsuki exchanged worried glances before looking back at Orihime.

"What's the occasion, Orihime?" Rukia asked while sitting her things down.

"No reason. It's just becoming autumn and it was a little chilly. So, why not put some warm food in those bodies? Come on! It's going to get cold!" Orihime pulled them to the table.

Rukia and Tatsuki looked at one another, suddenly afraid for their lives. They took seats at their respective places and stared down into their bowls.

Orihime went and got her own bowl of imoni and sat down. She smiled at her friends. "Let's eat!"

The other two girls stared down into their bowls before taking their first bites. They had no idea Orihime was watching them intently as they chewed slowly. Tatsuki's face contorted a bit, but she tried to hide it. On the other hand, Rukia appeared frightened but after a moment settled into the food. Her eyes widened as if she had just discovered the meaning to life. She took another bite, nodding.

"How is it? I've only made this a few times," Orihime asked.

Rukia looked at her, still nodding. "This is great, Orihime. Honestly! This is really good," she said.

Orihime nodded and looked at Tatsuki. "How about you, Tatsuki? Do you like it?"

Tatsuki looked over at her best friend. "Oh, uh, it's splendid as usual, Hime. You know your cooking is the best," she said through grit teeth.

Orihime tried to keep the smile on her face. Tatsuki was lying. She wondered why she had never noticed the blatant pain etched on her friends' faces as they had suffered through her food. Was it because when they actually did they always lied and said that it was good?

_Maybe I just liked the praise. Maybe I just wanted to feel good, even if I knew deep inside that it was false_, she thought. She shook her head and continued eating. _Or maybe they just feel the need to protect my feelings. I'm not glass. I won't break if I hear something bad_.

Then Orihime remembered when Ulquiorra had told her the truth. She had in fact crumbled.

"Perhaps they're right in doing so..." she whispered.

"Did you say something, Orihime?" Rukia asked, polishing off her bowl.

Orihime immediately shook her head. "No. I was just... thinking out loud."

* * *

Ulquiorra was looking over his make-up work. It was only because he was such a good student that he was allowed to make up all the work he missed; that and the fact that he had been unable to write for almost two months. He had completed almost everything and was now on to his genetics work. Genetics was one of the classes he shared with Orihime. He had never even noticed that she was in his class.

_I wonder why not. It isn't like she doesn't stand out. I'm sure I would've noticed her before_, Ulquiorra thought as his hand flew absentmindedly over the problems.

"I see you've already made it to genetics."

Ulquiorra looked up. Orihime was entering the room. She usually came between lunch and dinner now since the end of the semester was nearing. Since that started happening, she always brought him something to eat. Ulquiorra refused to eat the hospital's dinner.

"I brought you a bento... Ulquiorra, you wear glasses?" Orihime sat down, staring at him in amazement.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. Realizing what she was talking about, he promptly removed his reading glasses and sat them to the side. He noticed her odd look. She looked almost sad.

"Is something wrong, woman?" he asked.

"Why'd you take them off? I thought you looked cute," Orihime said with a little pout.

Ulquiorra sighed. "What is your obsession with me being cute?"

"Because you are." She handed him his bento box. "I can't keep sneaking you food, Ulquiorra. What if one of your physical therapists finds out? Or worse: Dr. Unohana? She's nice, but she's kind of scary at the same time."

Ulquiorra was content to ignore Orihime's warnings for the time being. He was too caught up in the savory food he was eating. "I can't take bland hospital food. I'll die," he muttered.

"You're such a baby," Orihime said.

She had noticed that Ulquiorra had started making little jokes around her. She wondered if this was his weird way of opening up to her. Of course, his jokes were unlike any jokes she had heard before. They were bland and always said in a serious tone; as if he meant and believed everything he said.

"Hey, Ulquiorra?" she asked.

"Hn."

"Do you think it's possible to know someone for years and years, but never actually know them?"

Ulquiorra looked at her. Orihime was fiddling with the edge of his bed sheets. "I believe that you always knew the person. However, people tend to change over time. The other person might have simply changed. Does that answer your question?"

Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra. "Yeah. I suppose it does. Have you ever had that problem, Ulquiorra?" she asked.

Ulquiorra looked back at his food. "Unfortunately Grimmjow is the same ignorant piece of trash he was when we met," he said glumly.

Orihime laughed. She had learned that Ulquiorra constantly called Grimmjow trash and Grimmjow constantly threw his own insults at Ulquiorra. However, it was also known that they never really meant any of them.

"How did you two meet, anyway?"

"It's an extremely long story," Ulquiorra said dryly. He sat the empty container to the side.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere for the time being. I've got all afternoon." Orihime stared up at him with large gray eyes.

Ulquiorra stared back at her. He knew she was not going to let it go. _Do I really want to tell her? She doesn't really know that much about me anyway_, he thought.

"We..."

Ulquiorra was interrupted by two nurses coming in as well as Dr. Kotetsu. Dr. Kotetsu smiled at Orihime before looking at Ulquiorra.

"What's going on?" Orihime asked.

Dr. Kotetsu produced a sharp object. Orihime cringed at the sight of it. "We're taking off the casts on Ulquiorra's legs. You should be happy about this, Orihime. Then he's going to get some x-rays done. Then he'll be right back." Dr. Kotetsu handed the nurse the sharp object Orihime kept eyeing.

Orihime scooted back as the nurses took her place next to Ulquiorra. She heard a sawing noise. The she heard the sound of something cracking. Then she saw something white being lifted away from Ulquiorra. Another one followed in its path soon after. When the nurses stepped away, Orihime smiled.

Ulquiorra was staring down at his legs. He had almost forgotten what they looked like. It was quite obvious that his legs had not been put to any use in weeks. He was already a very lean person. He was still looking over his knobby knees when he noticed a well-manicured hand reaching for one his left knee. He flinched when he felt Orihime touch him.

"Your skin is soft," she almost whispered.

Ulquiorra stared at her for a moment. Before he said anything, Dr. Kotetsu cleared her throat.

"Well, we have to take Ulquiorra for those x-rays. He'll be right back, Orihime."

When Ulquiorra and Dr. Kotetsu were gone, Orihime sat back down. She looked over at Ulquiorra's genetics work and picked up the book. Smiling, she began writing.

* * *

When Ulquiorra returned, he found Orihime and Grimmjow involved in a heated discussion about movies. He was happy to ignore them as the nurse helped him back to his bed. He picked up his genetics work only to find that it had been completed in handwriting that was almost exactly like his. He glanced over at Orihime, who was still trying to get her point across with Grimmjow.

"All I'm saying is that they could at least make it seem a bit more realistic, Grimmjow," Orihime said.

"It's a movie, chick. What do you want them to do?" Grimmjow retorted.

"Make what seem more realistic?" Ulquiorra muttered, going over Orihime's work.

Orihime turned her head towards Ulquiorra. "Well, we're sitting here watching this awful movie that takes place in space. There are explosions and stuff, but they show the explosions from _**OUTSIDE**_ the ships. Now, these explosions are really, really big. So they should make a lot of noise, right?"

"Right," Grimmjow said.

"Wrong!" Orihime yelled.

Ulquiorra sighed. "Why wouldn't the explosions be loud, woman? After all, in space there is no air to get in the way of said noise so it should come in loud and clear," he said dryly.

Orihime burst into laughter and Grimmjow just frowned. He crossed his arms and continued watching the television.

"You two can go to hell," Grimmjow muttered.

"Oh, come on, Grimmy. You know that was funny." Orihime smiled at him and he rolled his eyes. "And another thing. Why is it that all bad guys die in one of two ways?"

"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked absentmindedly. He was still going over Orihime's work on his problems.

"Well, they either die so quickly they did not see it coming or it is a long, slow process. In both instances, they still retain the right to a 'revenge speech'." Orihime looked between the two.

Grimmjow shrugged. "You could make the argument that good guys die the same way. Only they don't make revenge speeches. They gain insight into the world," he said thoughtfully.

"Like why the toast always lands butter-side down?" Orihime asked with a giggle.

"Why the sky is blue?" Grimmjow added.

"Or why you have an aversion to putting the toilet seat down?" Ulquiorra intoned to Grimmjow. "Or up for that matter..." This earned a deadly glower to him.

"But why does it take so long for bad guys to die? Do they not realize they are dying? They have whole ten-minute death scenes just for the bad guy," Orihime said.

Ulquiorra finally looked up from his work. "It takes some time for them to realize that they are dying. This is probably attributed to the fact that simply being evil damages one's sense of reality. They tend to see the world in a very different light than the average human being. To them, the toast **_DOES_** land butter-side up. Every. Single. Time."

Orihime nodded slowly. "Um, okay. So, why is the bad guy always so much cooler than the good guy?"

"Simple." Ulquiorra closed the genetics book and notebook. "Deep down, on some subconscious level, everyone wants to be evil. Therefore, the good guy will never be as 'cool' as the bad guy. He will never have the best lines or the best voice actor. He will simply be the one that gets to win in the end, while everyone else will be mad that he did."

"No one ever _**REALLY**_ likes the hero, chick. They're expected to because, well, he's the hero. Morally and ethically, you're supposed to be on his side. But deep down, you're rooting for the bad guy to kick his ass," Grimmjow said.

Orihime nodded. "So who are you, Grimmjow? Good guy or bad guy?" she asked.

"Do you really have to ask that question?" Grimmjow smirked.

Orihime glanced over at Ulquiorra. "What about you? Good or evil?"

Ulquiorra appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I'll take the nihilistic approach and just be an extreme skeptic. I choose neither good nor evil. I will take everything as I see it and what I don't like I will handle as I see fit," he said frankly.

Orihime was a little amazed at his answer. She had never really thought of Ulquiorra as the quintessential "good guy." He was not like that. But he was not really "evil," either. Ulquiorra had his own way about him. He could not be defined by such words as "good" and "evil." They were far too simple to describe a person as complicated and enigmatic as him.

"Why can't you ever just keep it simple?" Grimmjow asked.

"Because not all people are slow trash like yourself. We didn't all have our intelligence beaten out of us with a stick," Ulquiorra said dryly.

* * *

Later that night, Ulquiorra opened his eyes. Orihime was still there, sleeping awkwardly in a chair. Grimmjow was snoring across the room. Ulquiorra felt that signature pressure that only meant one thing.

He had to go potty.

_Damn. How am I going to get to the bathroom_? He looked at Orihime. He did not want to wake her up. He glanced at Grimmjow and shuddered. His only other choice was to make it on his own. With firm resolve, Ulquiorra threw the covers back and twisted his body so that his legs hung over the edge of the bed.

"Fortune favors the brave," he whispered.

Ulquiorra pushed himself up onto his feet. For a moment, he wobbled. It felt like he had not walked in years. His legs felt so weak. He took one step forward with his left foot. He could not gain his balance. He could not find his center. Everything just seemed so... strange.

Orihime had that odd feeling that something was in front of her. She opened her eyes slightly only to see flailing arms. She blinked twice. Then she realized whose flailing arms they were. She flew into action just as Ulquiorra went down. She clumsily broke his fall and he landed on top of her on the cold, tiled floor.

"Ow..." Orihime mumbled.

Ulquiorra immediately tried to sit up off of her, but found it hard. Instead, he just rolled over on his back. "I am sorry. I was..."

"Why were you up?" Orihime asked.

"I had to use the bathroom. I didn't want to wake you," Ulquiorra answered.

"You could've hurt yourself. You don't even know if your legs were fully healed. Or your back. You could've landed on your arms wrong. What if I..." Orihime stopped when Ulquiorra placed a finger on her lips. She turned her head and looked at him.

"None of that happened, did it?" he asked and she shook her head. "Notwithstanding the fact that I still must relieve myself, I am fine. It appears that my legs are in some state of atrophy. If you would like to be of some use, help me up," he said.

Orihime nodded and stood up. She took Ulquiorra by the arms and helped pull him to his feet. Once again, he fell into her. Orihime stepped back, holding onto him tightly. Ulquiorra could not really do anything beyond staying in her grasp in his weakened state.

"Um, you said you wanted to go to the bathroom?" Orihime asked.

"Yes."

"Well, let's see how we're going to work this out..."

_Why isn't Grimmjow awake_? Orihime thought as Grimmjow let out a loud snore.

* * *

A high-pitched squeal woke her up. Orihime's gray eyes fluttered open once again. This time, Ulquiorra's flailing arms were not what she saw. Instead, it was Nel and Nnoitra. Orihime blinked, realizing that she was actually laying on something.

_An extra bed? How did I get here_? she thought.

"Good morning, Ulqui! Tia told me you got the casts off yesterday. I didn't know Orihime stayed the night," Nel said happily.

Orihime sat up slowly on the bed she was on. "Orihime didn't know she stayed the night, either," she mumbled, speaking in third person. "How did I get here?" She looked at Ulquiorra. He was picking at his breakfast.

"You fell asleep waiting for me in the bathroom. I had to get Grimmjow to take me back. He decided to just leave you here since you were so far gone. Some nurses brought in that bed and Grimmjow put you in it. Does that answer your question?" He looked over at her.

"Of course. Tatsuki and Rukia are probably worried about me since I didn't come home last night," Orihime said.

"Are they your babysitters?" Nnoitra asked, propping his feet up and turning on the television.

Orihime frowned and shook her head. "No. It's just that they worry a lot about me. Friends do that. At least my friends do," she said.

Ulquiorra watched her for a moment. Before anything else could be said, his physical therapists entered noisily. Yoruichi and Soifon crossed the room, heading straight for Ulquiorra. He watched the women warily. Soifon went directly for his covers while Yoruichi looked at him.

"We heard you had a little adventure last night," she said.

"An adventure?" Ulquiorra asked.

Yoruichi nodded. "You got out of bed unattended."

Soifon was looking at Ulquiorra's legs. She frowned and glared up at him. "Look," she said.

Ulquiorra noticed the slight swelling of his left leg. He looked over at Orihime. He had been hoping she had not noticed, but she had. She was probably now thinking it was her fault.

"Well, it's not all that bad, is it?" he asked.

"The swelling will go down. But no more trips to the bathroom unattended. If you must go, have someone help you. You should not be walking without proper supervision and care. Is that clear?" Yoruichi said and Ulquiorra nodded. She turned to leave.

Soifon took Yoruichi's vacated spot. "Your rehabilitation will begin in three days." She then turned her murderous glare towards Orihime. "No more sneaking him bento boxes. There is a reason we serve them the food we give them." The short woman left.

Orihime could only sit with her mouth open. She looked at Ulquiorra. "How did she know?" she whispered.

* * *

Tatsuki and Rukia were indeed waiting for Orihime when the redhead returned to her dorm. What Orihime was not expecting was for Ichigo and the other guys to be there as well. She paused as she stood in the doorway, taking in their menacing glares.

"Um, hi guys. What brings you all here so early in the morning?" Orihime asked with a big grin on her face.

"Orihime, where were you last night?" Tatsuki asked.

Orihime laughed a bit. "Well, I went to see Ulquiorra after doing some studying. I brought him dinner. Then we talked and watched movies. Somewhere along the line, I fell asleep. I just never got around to... coming back to the dorm," she said.

"Or calling to let us know you weren't dead in a ditch somewhere?" Rukia asked.

"Well, I was really sleepy and it just never crossed my mind. I'm sorry," Orihime said quietly.

"You... You... _**UGH**_!" Tatsuki stormed off, clearly frustrated. Everyone watched her go and jumped when they heard her door slam. Orihime stared down at the floor.

Uryuu cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "I think what Tatsuki was trying to convey was that maybe next time you should give her a heads-up. She is your best friend, after all. She worries about you more than any of us," he said calmly.

Orihime nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to stay out. I just fell asleep."

Ichigo approached her as he made his way to the door. "Just try not to let it happen again, Orihime. Okay?"

She nodded slowly, looking up at him with glassy eyes. Ichigo looked back at Rukia. Rukia waved at him as the guys left the dorm, muttering their goodbyes to Orihime. She just nodded in response. Then she looked up at Rukia, who had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot.

"Well, I've already said my piece. You just should've called. Tatsuki's the one who was really worried sick. I wouldn't bother her now. She's probably too mad. But, don't forget to apologize... some more, I mean." Rukia turned and went to her own room, leaving Orihime standing alone in the main room.

She sluggishly walked to her room. After throwing off her clothes, she climbed on her bed and hugged her pillow.

_Why do I have to explain myself to them? I'm old enough to take care of myself_, Orihime thought. _Why do I have to justify everything? Why is this even an issue_? She sat up. _I'm going to take a bath_.

* * *

Harribel walked in Ulquiorra's room. She paused for a moment. Ulquiorra was staring out the window, watching the rain fall against the window. Harribel looked around. Something was odd about the room. It felt like something was missing. Ulquiorra had yet to acknowledge her presence.

"Something's different," she said.

Ulquiorra looked over at her. "The woman is not here," he stated.

Harribel nodded. "That would be it." She walked around his bed and sat down. "Where is she? Do you know?"

"I do not. Maybe she had something to do. I do not keep tabs on her," Ulquiorra said.

Harribel watched his expressions. His eye twitched slightly, indicating that he was concerned but unwilling to admit it. She smiled to herself and glanced away from him. "I brought Starrk along with me," she said quietly.

This caused Ulquiorra to glare at her.

That was when the man in question fumbled in. He stopped for a moment, letting out a yawn. Then he jerked forward. He turned and glared at the little green-haired girl behind him. She frowned at him and walked around him.

"Hiya, Ulquiorra!" she said. She jumped up on the bed next to him.

"Hello, Lilynette," Ulquiorra said.

"We would've come sooner, but Coyote Ugly* over there kept putting it off. So, finally I just called Harribel and she dragged him out of the house on over here." Lilynette scooted closer to Ulquiorra. "Nel told me you met a girl," she said slyly.

Ulquiorra blinked as he looked down at her. "Just the woman who I saved," he said.

"Do you like her?" Lilynette asked.

"What do you mean 'do I like her?' The woman is an acquaintance. I must enjoy the woman's presence somewhat if I allow her to stay by me," he answered bluntly.

Lilynette rolled her eyes. "That's not what I mean, doofus."

"Then explain your meaning."

"She means is she your woman?" Starrk asked. Harribel elbowed him in his ribs. He glared down at her. "What?

Ulquiorra looked away from Starrk and back at Lilynette. "No, she is not my 'woman'."

"Then why do you call her 'woman'?" Lilynette asked. "Not once have you said her name. It's almost like she's _**YOURS**_. But what do I know? I'm just a kid."

* * *

Orihime walked down the street in the rain. She wore a pink raincoat and pink galoshes over her clothes and her hair was up and under a matching pink hat. Her head was down as she stepped in the individual puddles on purpose. She was headed for the nearest coffee shop. She only knew of one. When she got there, she was not surprised to hear her name coming from the front of the shop greet her.

"Orihime! What a pleasant surprise!" Rangiku Matsumoto walked over to her friend. When she got to Orihime, she noticed the sad look on her face. "Oh, Hime. What's the matter?" the strawberry blonde asked.

Orihime looked up at her. "Tatsuki's mad at me. I don't like having people mad at me, Rangiku."

Rangiku led Orihime to a seat. "Gin! Get Orihime some tea!" she yelled behind her.

A silver-haired man who Orihime thought bore a strange resemblance to a fox peaked his head out from behind the counter. "Why do I hafta do it? Why can't ya ask the lil' one?" he asked.

"Because Toshiro is already busy. Just do it, Gin. Do it or I'll tell Aizen you were misbehaving. Or worse," she looked up at him, "_**TOUSEN**_."

"Ya wouldn't," Gin said.

"Oh, I would. I would and you know it." Rangiku smiled and Gin walked away, humming to himself. Rangiku looked back at Orihime. "Now tell me all about it, Orihime. I'm all ears."

"Well, it all started a few months back..."

* * *

_Head down as I watch my feet take turns hitting the ground  
I should, I find myself in love racing the earth_

_And I'm soaked in your love  
And love was right in my path, in my grasp  
And me and you belong_

_

* * *

_

*** Who got the joke? LOL**


	6. 6: Silent Movie

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 6: Silent Movie**

**

* * *

**

By the time Orihime finished telling her story, she was leaning on Gin's shoulder in tears. Rangiku had been silently nodding and listening the entire time. Gin was now patting her on the head, trying to calm her down.

"There, there, lil' Hime. Here, drink yer tea," Gin said. He handed Orihime her cup of tea.

Orihime leaned up off of Gin and took the tea from him. "Thank you, Gin. I didn't mean to cry on you," she mumbled.

"It's no problem," Gin said with a grin.

Rangiku rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Trust me, Orihime. He did it for his own gain," she said.

Gin looked over at her. "Whatever could ya mean, Ran?" He stood up. "I've got customers ta tend ta. See ya later, lil' Hime," Gin said, waving at Orihime. She waved back, still sniffling.

Rangiku looked over at Orihime. "Orihime, what's this Ulquiorra like? Has he met Tatsuki and the others?" she asked.

Orihime shook her head. "No. Maybe that's why they're so unsure. Ulquiorra is really a great guy. He's different from anyone I've ever met. I think they might be afraid that he's too much like Grimmjow."

Rangiku nodded. "Yeah, that Grimmjow has been in here a few times. Each time he was with a different girl. Quite the ladies man, that Grimmjow..." she whispered.

Orihime raised an eyebrow. "Rangiku, did you go out with Grimmjow?" she asked.

Rangiku looked up immediately and shook her head. "No! No! I did no such thing. I prefer my men skinny and fox-like. I just... think he's cute." Rangiku sighed. "I mean, how could you not, Hime? When you completely ignore his brash ways, you have to admit he's dead sexy."

Orihime cringed. "To be honest, I never really looked at Grimmjow like that before. At first, he sorta scared me. But now, he's nothing but a big softie to me. I wish the others could see the side to him that I see all the time."

"So you're saying Grimmjow treats you different?"

"In a way, I suppose he does. Well, he's just nicer to me in general. But, I've never put off bad vibes to him like the others do." Orihime sighed and looked out at the rain. "Maybe I should just go grovel a little more. That always worked when we were younger."

Rangiku frowned. "Orihime, you are a grown woman. You aren't a little kid anymore. In fact, when you grew those jugs you stopped being a little kid." She laughed when Orihime tried to cover her chest. "You get what I'm trying to say. If you want to stay out late, that's your prerogative. If you want to wear really short skirts, that's your business. And, if you want to go to medical schools in America, that's you business, as well."

Orihime gasped and leaned forward. "How did you know?" she whispered.

"The brochure is hanging out of your bag," Rangiku said with a smile. "So, have you told Tatsuki and the others yet? Have you even _**APPLIED**_?"

"I sent in the application two days ago," Orihime mumbled. "But I haven't told my friends. I'm only going to tell them if I get accepted. If I don't get accepted, what's the point?"

Rangiku's face dropped. _The girl needs some serious backbone to stand up to her friends. I've gotta meet this Ulquiorra fellow. He seems to get her more than they do_, she thought.

"Shopping," Rangiku said.

Orihime blinked. "Huh? But you're working."

"Screw work. Gin'll cover for me. He always does. We're going shopping. I have to get that ridiculous look off your face. You look like someone ran over your best friend." Rangiku cringed. "That was a horrible analogy."

"Yes, Rangiku. Yes, it was."

* * *

If there was one thing Ulquiorra hated, it was being manhandled. At the moment, he was being manhandled by a woman who came to his shoulder. Soifon was not gentle in the least. He wondered why Yoruichi did not work with him. She seemed to be the nicer of the two. All the glaring Ulquiorra could muster was shot right back at him by Soifon.

_The woman is evil. I do not like her at all_, he confirmed as she practically threw him into a wheelchair. Luckily, Yoruichi took hold of the handlebars and began to push him.

"Are you ready for your first day of rehabilitation, Ulquiorra?" she asked.

"Hn," Ulquiorra mumbled.

Yoruichi smiled. "Where is your friend? Orihime? Was that her name? Dr. Unohana said she hasn't been around lately. We didn't frighten her off when we showed her your leg, did we?"

"I have no idea. I am not the woman's keeper. From my position in this hospital, it's not like I can go out looking for her, either. If you want her, you go find her," Ulquiorra said.

Yoruichi looked at Soifon. He was getting testy; a sign that he was worried or at the least a fair bit agitated that she had stopped visiting him. "So she really hasn't been by in three days?" Yoruichi asked as Soifon pressed the elevator button.

"No, she ha..."

The elevator door opened up to reveal Orihime. She glanced at the two women and smiled. Then she looked down at the sulky young man in the wheelchair. "Ulquiorra! I was just coming to see you!" Orihime looked back up at Soifon and Yoruichi. "Where are you going?"

"Today's Ulquiorra's first day of physical therapy. It should be fun. Right, Soifon?" Yoruichi asked.

"Loads," Soifon replied flatly.

Orihime nodded slowly. "Oh, well. Can I come watch?" she asked.

Yoruichi pushed Ulquiorra inside the elevator quickly. Soifon followed them in just as quickly as Orihime found herself backed up against the wall. Yoruichi smiled at her. "Of course," she said with a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

Orihime nodded and looked down at Ulquiorra. He had not said anything to her yet. Was he mad or something. She had not been to see him in three days. That was only because she had done a lot of apologizing to Tatsuki and Rukia. She did not want to anger Tatsuki much more.

_Apparently I traded one moody person for another_, Orihime thought with a sigh.

The elevator chimed and they all exited on the 2nd floor. They walked to a room that had all sorts of instruments in it. It sort of reminded Ulquiorra of a torture chamber in an odd way, given what he was going to be asked to do. He watched Yoruichi walk around him, a smile on her face. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Well," she winked at Ulquiorra, "let's get this party started!"

* * *

Two hours later, Ulquiorra found himself being dumped on his bed. He was breathless and tired. He looked as though he had run a marathon. In actuality, all he had managed to do was barely place one foot in front of the other and take a few steps. Granted, he had been clinging to both Yoruichi and Orihime at the time, but it was still tiring.

_I have never felt so useless before_, he thought dismally. He turned himself over to see Orihime intercepting the nurse with his dinner cart.

Orihime pushed Ulquiorra's dinner over to him as he fixed himself in his bed. She smiled and sat down next to him. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted," Ulquiorra said. He lifted the top that covered the main entrée. He winced when he saw it. "American food again. What do they call this?" He stabbed the loaf of beef and picked it up with his fork.

Orihime picked up the receipt on his tray. "I think it's called meatloaf. A loaf of meat? That sounds interesting. What's it taste like?" she asked as Ulquiorra took a bite out of it.

Ulquiorra finished chewing and swallowed. "A loaf of meat," he said impassively. "Whoever came up with that idea should be executed. I will pull the trigger myself."

Orihime giggled a bit. She continued to watch him eat his food silently for a few minutes. Ulquiorra occasionally glanced over at her to find her watching him. He saw that her eyes had clouded over somewhat. From experience, he knew that she was daydreaming about something.

"Where have you been?" he asked finally.

The question cut through the air like a knife. Orihime had been daydreaming about robots and samurais again. She blinked a few times and brought Ulquiorra back into focus. "I'm sorry?"

"Where have you been, woman?"

Orihime smiled. "Oh. It's been three days, huh? Well, my friends were all pretty mad that I spent the night here without telling them. They were worried and whatnot. So, I thought it best that I spend some time with them to make up for it," she said.

"So, you were sucking up to them?" Ulquiorra pulled his green Jell-O closer to him.

"Sucking up?" Orihime frowned. "I was _**NOT**_ sucking up to them. I was just... making it up to them. That's all. I am not a suck-up." She watched as Ulquiorra nodded and started to eat his green Jell-O.

"If you say so, woman," he said.

Orihime sighed. "Do you even have friends, Ulquiorra? Do you know what it's like to have people who worry about you day and night? That want to protect you? That... That... That..."

"Want to live my life for me?" Ulquiorra glanced over at her. Orihime closed her mouth. "No, I don't know the feeling. I hope I never will, either. As you can imagine, I am not the friendly type. The personality I have does not dictate that I want for such things," he said.

"Why do you always sound as if you're reciting something from a textbook, Ulquiorra?" Orihime asked.

He pushed the empty dinner cart away. Then he looked back over at her. For a moment, all he did was stare at her. Orihime shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Then he finally spoke. "I don't speak unless I have my words properly gathered in a manner unto which they can be understood by whoever I am speaking with. You seem to understand everything I say just fine, as I say it so that you'll understand. If you prefer, I can speak in binary. Or perhaps French. I daresay German would even be delightful."

Orihime rolled her eyes. "You are quite talkative today. I actually thought you'd be angry with me for my absence."

Ulquiorra looked away from her. "Angry? I don't have time to be angry with you, woman."

Lilynette zoomed in the room, followed by a lethargic Starrk and Harribel. She was waving something small and black in her hands. She stopped in front of Ulquiorra's bed and aimed the black object at him. It was a camera. Then she took notice of Orihime and raised an eyebrow.

"Who're you?" she asked.

"My name's Orihime Inoue. Who are you?"

"Lilynette Gingerback." Then something clicked and Lilynette smiled mischievously. "_**YOU'RE**_ the 'woman' I keep hearing about."

Orihime looked between Ulquiorra and Lilynette. "Huh? 'The woman?' What do you mean?" she asked Lilynette.

"Oh, nothing. Get over there with Ulquiorra. I wanna get a picture of the both of you to give to your grandchildren."

If the process of climbing into bed with Ulquiorra was not already awkward, Lilynette's comment had made it seem at least ten times more uncomfortable. Orihime found herself being posed and positioned by Harribel to fit Lilynette's liking. By the time they were finished, Ulquiorra and Orihime were laying so that they were basically facing one another.

"This is embarrassing," Ulquiorra mumbled so that only Orihime could hear.

"Well, look at it this way. At least I'm not Grimmjow," she said.

Ulquiorra nodded slowly. "Yes, that's true. Being embarrassed next to a beautiful woman is by far more pleasurable than the punishment of being within ten feet of the trash that is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," he murmured.

Orihime's eyes widened. She tried to calm the heat coming to her face, but she already knew it was futile to do so. She vaguely heard Lilynette calling for her to look into the camera. She obeyed and stared straight ahead.

_He called me beautiful. He thinks I'm beautiful_, she thought. It barely registered when Lilynette plopped down between them.

"Hey, Ulqui!" she said loudly.

"Lilynette, just because Ulquiorra isn't covered in white plaster anymore doesn't mean you can jump on him," Harribel said absentmindedly.

"Yeah, yeah, Tia. Anyway, wanna watch a movie, Ulqui?" Lilynette asked.

Ulquiorra looked down at the green-haired, pink-eyed girl. "What movie, Lilynette?"

Lilynette produced a DVD. "_Death Proof_."

"Aren't you a little young to watch that?" Ulquiorra asked as Lilynette hopped off of the bed and over to the television. She apparently had not heard him. She put it in and was soon back over with Ulquiorra and Orihime. Orihime tried to get up but felt a hand on her wrist. She looked down to see it was Ulquiorra's.

"You want me to stay here?" she asked.

"Only if you would like," he said.

"Ok."

* * *

About halfway through the movie, Lilynette fell asleep. Starrk came and retrieved her and they left. Ulquiorra and Orihime decided to finish the movie anyway. When it was over, Ulquiorra turned the television off and looked at Orihime.

"That poor man..." she mumbled sleepily.

Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow. "Woman, he was killing women purposely with his car. The bastard got what he so richly deserved," he said.

Orihime yawned. "Still, he did say he was sorry in the end."

"They're always repentant when they meet up with an adversary who is better than them, woman," Ulquiorra said as he snuggled into his pillows.

Orihime turned her body so that she was laying on his chest. "Yeah, but still. They could've called the police," she mumbled.

"I can't believe your naïveté, woman. You are definitely the one who got left behind at the car owner's place." Ulquiorra thought for a moment. "On second thought, you're the one who died at the beginning when he gave her a ride in the passenger's side."

"There's no way I'd be in either situation," Orihime said with a smile.

"And why not?"

"There's no way I could string together that many swearwords in a sentence."

"Don't you think you should call your babysitters? If you stay here all night again they might hold an intervention when you go home," Ulquiorra intoned.

Orihime sighed and looked up at him. "They are not _**BABYSITTERS**_. They are _**FRIENDS**_. Why are you trying to make them seem like the bad guys?" she asked.

"I am doing no such thing. If what I say makes them come off as such, then that is your opinion. However, I am only giving it to you how I see it. When you go on dates, do they follow you around those as well?"

"I wouldn't know." Orihime turned her head away from him. "I've never actually _**BEEN**_ on a date before," she garbled.

Ulquiorra found this odd. _She's never been on a date? I get that she's shy, but she's really never been on a date_? he thought to himself.

"Do you date, Ulquiorra?"

"No. I haven't the time or the need for such a frivolous activity."

"Well," Orihime glanced back at him, "aren't you just the social butterfly? If you hadn't thrown yourself in front of a car for me, I would've never known you existed."

Ulquiorra watched as she grew closer to his face. Their noses were touching. "Imagine how awful that would be. I would've missed out on many a meaningful tête-à-tête," he murmured.

"Yes. Sounds absolutely traumatic, doesn't it?"

"Very." Ulquiorra watched as she looked around in his green eyes.

"You'd suck at poker," she said.

"Really? I'd always assumed I never gave anything away in my facial expressions," he said.

Orihime blinked sleepily. She shook her head, rubbing her nose against his. "False. Your eyes are the most expressive feature on your face, hence why you'd suck. No one can read you because they're looking for the wrong things; twitches of your lips, excessive blinking, et cetera. However, all one needs to do is search these green balls of fire and they'd find a treasure chest of emotion. You'd be very hard to figure out to the untrained eye in a silent movie."

"A silent movie? If that is the case, you'd be unbearably simple. The way you inhale speaks volumes." Ulquiorra felt like laughing. "Poetic, woman. I'm impressed."

She smiled and started to remove herself from the bed. "Yes well, I can have my moments of sheer brilliance."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to catch a bus back to my dorm." She watched Ulquiorra shake his head. "No?"

"It's far too late for you to be out alone. Sit." Ulquiorra reached for his telephone. Orihime just stood there for a moment. "Park it," he said. She finally sat back down.

"What are you doing?"

"You're staying here for the night." He watched as she started to protest. "I'll call your friends myself in the morning. I'd love to meet this Tatsuki I keep hearing so much about..."

Orihime sighed and waited as Ulquiorra called for an extra bed to be brought into the room. _Oh, this'll go down wonderfully_.

* * *

Tatsuki snapped her phone shut the next morning. She walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen, where Rukia was eating breakfast. She grabbed Rukia's arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Tatsuki! What's going on?" Rukia asked through a mouthful of bread.

"We're going to the hospital," Tatsuki said.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Rukia asked, pulling on her shoes and jacket.

"Orihime's there."

"Huh? She never came home? Again?"

* * *

Orihime was snuggling into her covers when she heard the door to the hospital room open. _I almost forgot I slept here_. She blinked a few times. She recognized a head of short black hair. Then she saw a shorter girl with black hair as well. Her eyes widened. _Tatsuki and Rukia? What are they doing here_? She snapped her eyes shut and tried to feign sleep.

"You must be the woman's friends," Ulquiorra said, stirring around his okayu with disdain. He hated the soupy rice stuff with a passion and this made it no better since he was getting nothing else to eat.

"The woman? You mean Orihime? Why don't you call her by her name?" Tatsuki asked.

"Because she is a woman, is she not?" Ulquiorra looked up from his rice dish and at Tatsuki. "I could call her 'little girl,' if that's what you prefer," he said.

Tatsuki frowned and looked away from Ulquiorra. She glanced around the pristine room for Orihime. She found her sleeping on a bed beside Ulquiorra's bed. She walked over to her and reached down to shake her awake. She was stopped by Ulquiorra's voice.

"Do not wake the woman. She was up late last night watching movies with me. She will wake up when she is no longer tired." Ulquiorra opened his milk.

"Listen you; I'll wake her up when I want to wake her up. She needs to go home, anyway," Tatsuki said.

"She'll undoubtedly wake up with you standing over her yelling as you are," Ulquiorra said deprecatingly. Tatsuki turned her head towards him again.

This time, Rukia intervened. "Um, Ulquiorra, is it? Maybe you shouldn't rile Tatsuki up. She's Orihime's best friend and she knows Orihime the best. Okay?" Rukia said.

"Best friend, you say? If you're her best friend, that would mean you tell her everything, right?" Ulquiorra asked.

Tatsuki frowned. "Of course, jerk-off. Why wouldn't I? That's why I don't get why she's hanging around an ass like you."

"An... ass... like me? Well, have you ever told her exactly how you felt about her cooking?"

Tatsuki paused and looked at Rukia. Rukia shrugged. Tatsuki looked down to see that Orihime was still sleeping. Then she glared back at Ulquiorra. "I keep my comments to myself to spare Orihime's feelings. She is a sensitive person."

"Wait a minute. She made you anpan. You didn't tell her you hated it, did you?" Rukia asked.

"I told her that it was inedible. What reason had I to lie to her? I think she deserved to know the truth," Ulquiorra said blandly.

"You jerk! She was up all night making that for you. She only makes anpan for festivals and for Ichigo and you just decided to hurt her feelings like that? How could you? She must've been so torn up..."

Ulquiorra shook his head. "She took it rather well, actually." Then he narrowed his eyes. "Who is Ichigo?"

"My boyfiend, Ichigo Kurosaki. Orihime always cooks for his birthday," Rukia said.

That was when Orihime decided to sit up and let everyone know she was awake with a yawn. "What's goi... Tatsuki? Rukia? What are you two doing here?" she asked, wiping sleepiness out of her eyes. She glared at Ulquiorra. The look in his eyes said that he knew she had been faking her sleep. Her face saddened for a moment before looking back at Tatsuki.

"I got a call that you were in the hospital and I came here. I brought Rukia along. Lo and behold it was just this one." Tatsuki motioned to Ulquiorra. "You stayed without calling again, Hime."

"You're lucky she didn't send Ichigo and Chad out looking for you," Rukia mumbled.

"Kurosaki? Where is he?" Grimmjow walked in the room looking around. He noticed the three girls surrounding Ulquiorra and smirked. "Finally, you're stepping up to the plate. But I'll have to tell Kurosaki that you're stealing from his koi pond. That oughta make for a good sparring match."

"It isn't what you think, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said with a sigh.

Grimmjow shrugged and looked at Orihime. "You stayed again, chick? I was starting to think you forgot about Envy over there," he said.

Orihime smiled at Grimmjow. "We watched movies and stuff and..."

She was cut off as Tatsuki pulled her from the bed. "She's leaving now. Orihime, say bye-bye to your... friends."

Orihime broke free of Tatsuki for a moment. "Hold on. I'll be right behind you." She watched Tatsuki and Rukia leave. Then she looked at Ulquiorra as she put on her shoes and jacket. "Well, see you later, I guess."

Grimmjow scoffed as he sat down. "If they don't put you under lock and key..."

"Not funny, Grimmy," she said.

"I thought it was hilarious," Ulquiorra said.

Orihime looked at him. He was still stirring the soupy rice concoction around. He glanced up at her and... smirked. Her eyes widened. Before it registered that he had actually sort of smiled at her, it was gone. He was looking at her blankly again.

"You should hurry, woman," Ulquiorra said.

Orihime nodded. "Yes, you're right." She ran over to his bedside and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Bye!" She flew out of the room.

Grimmjow stared at Ulquiorra's bewildered face. Then he burst into uncontrollable laughter. He fell out of his chair, in tears. "The look... on your... face... _**PRICELESS**_!" he said between fits of laughter.

Ulquiorra was too stunned to care. _Did she really just kiss me_?

"Congratulations, Ulquiorra. I think she _**REALLY**_ likes you now," Grimmjow said as he got back up. "Question is: do you like her back?"

* * *

_Step into the movie, you can be my leading man  
Break into the silence, so your heart can understand  
Step into the movie, we could walk along the sand  
Let me stand beside you, put your life into my hand_


	7. 7: Come Away with Me

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 7: Come Away with Me**

**

* * *

**

Rangiku, Toshiro, and Gin sneaked around the hospital. Although Rangiku and Gin were trying to look inconspicuous, they stood out a lot. The motley trio had been mistaken for a family at least five times so far. The perpetrator usually got the iciest glare that Toshiro Hitsugaya could muster from his cold teal eyes. Rangiku would just blush and laugh it off while Gin would play it up to the fullest, making it worse on poor Toshiro.

"I really wish you two would stop acting like that is the case. There's no way in hell I'd be related to two nutcases like the both of you." Toshiro glared at Gin. "_**ESPECIALLY**_ you, Ichimaru," he said.

Gin mock-pouted. "Aw. Why not? Wha's wrong with me?"

Before Toshiro could go off into the long list of personality traits that he hated about Gin Ichimaru, Rangiku pulled both of them towards the room she had been searching for. In it was a very pale man with raven-colored hair. He was staring disinterestedly at the television. Rangiku took notice of the thick books by his bed.

_He's a student like Orihime_. She squinted to see the name of the books. _A smart one, like Orihime. That's even better_.

Rangiku stood up and made her way towards the door. Gin and Toshiro watched her in silence for a moment. She knocked twice and then just entered. Gin and Toshiro looked at one another before following immediately after her.

* * *

Ulquiorra turned his head away from the television. A woman with strawberry blonde hair had just entered followed by two silver-haired guys. One was quite a bit older than the other, though. The smaller one appeared to be the more mature of the two from what Ulquiorra could surmise almost immediately.

_I'm almost grateful for the intrusion. Whatever this is on the television is depleting my brain of its cells by the minute and unfortunately those are the only cells of the body that do not replenish themselves_, he thought drearily.

"Who are you and why are you in my room?" Ulquiorra asked dryly.

The woman smiled at him and shot him the peace sign. "I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. That's Gin Ichimaru and this one is Toshiro Hitsugaya. We're friends of Orihime Inoue. You must be Ulquiorra," she said a bit too happily.

Ulquiorra stared at her for a moment. He sighed. "Are you here to tell me the woman is no longer coming to see me?" he asked.

Rangiku's smile faltered for a moment. She walked over to Ulquiorra's bed, pulling a chair along with her. Gin and Toshiro stood by her side. "Why would we do that? Orihime seems to like you from what she told me." Rangiku frowned. "Wait a minute. This wouldn't have anything to do with why she came to me in absolute shambles, would it?"

Ulquiorra blinked. "Shambles?"

"Yeah. She came to mah Ran just sobbin' and cryin' and everythin'. She was ev'n cryin' on me. Poor girl. You'd think her dog got hit by a car or somethin'," Gin said. Rangiku elbowed him in the stomach. "Ow, Ran! Wha' was tha' for?"

"That was a really bad analogy." Rangiku looked back at Ulquiorra. "But what he said is true. She did come to the coffee shop where we all work in tears. It was a few weeks ago..."

"It must've been after she spent the night here. She recently did so again. Her friend Tatsuki was not happy about it. She came and got the woman herself." Ulquiorra looked away from Rangiku. "Why does the woman allow herself to be pushed around?"

Rangiku sighed. "You would have to know Orihime's background to understand that, Ulquiorra. She's always been everyone's princess. It's even in her name: 'hime.' Everyone feels as though they must protect her from anything and everything. Her friends are like overprotective parents; parents who haven't learned to let go," she said.

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows. "The woman is nothing but strong when she is around me. She talks to me any way she pleases. Yet, she cowers before her friends. Are they not the ones she should feel most comfortable around? She barely knows me."

"You make her strong, Ulquiorra," Rangiku said with a wink.

"Ya also make her happy. A happy Hime is a sparklin' Hime. Lil' Hime's tears bring nothin' but despair," Gin said.

"Odd that you say that." Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "The woman's tears are what woke me up."

* * *

Orihime sat on the swing in the deserted playground. The sun was setting and it was growing colder outside. She had not been to visit Ulquiorra in two weeks. It was the longest she had gone without seeing him. She vaguely remembered the last time she went to see him that she kissed his cheek. It had been such a heat-of-the-moment-type thing that she had belatedly realized it several hours later while arguing with Tatsuki.

_Tatsuki. I'm still not even on speaking terms with Tatsuki. She won't even look me in the back of the head_, Orihime thought as she let out a forlorn sigh. _She used to push me at this very swing. And the big kids would pick on me and she'd protect me from them_...

"Orihime?"

Orihime gasped and nearly slid off the swing. She turned her head to see Ichigo approaching her. Strangely, he was alone. Normally, Rukia would be with him. She noticed a bag on his arm that was obviously food and deduced that he was _on his way_ to see Rukia.

"Oh. Hi, Ichigo. Going to see Rukia?" she asked with a very transparent smile.

"Orihime, why are you out here all alone?" Ichigo asked, stopping a few feet away from her.

Orihime looked down. "Just felt like swinging, I guess. I haven't been to this park in ages," she said. She dug her boots into the sand.

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "But why are you out here alone? Shouldn't you be with Tatsuki or Rukia or someone?" he asked.

Orihime glanced up at him. "Tatsuki and I aren't really speaking right now. She's still a little mad about the whole Ulquiorra situation. I haven't even been to see Ulquiorra." She let out a sigh. "I wonder how he's doing..."

Ichigo watched her drift off back into her own thoughts. He looked to her left and saw another empty swing. He sat next to her. Orihime watched him, wondering what he was doing. Ichigo reached in the bag he carried and handed Orihime skewer of dango.

"Aren't these for..."

"You look like you haven't had dinner yet. Besides, Chad and Uryuu will be just fine," Ichigo said.

"I can't eat their dinner," Orihime said as she chewed a dumpling. Ichigo smirked at her. "Well, I suppose it's a little late to say that, isn't it?" She giggled as he joined her in their snack.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Orihime noticed that the sun was officially gone. The only light afforded to them now was that of the streetlamps. Orihime blew out into the cold air, seeing her warm breath amongst the coldness. She giggled again, causing Ichigo to look at her.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing really. I was just thinking about how much fun I used to have staying out in the cold; making snowmen and having snowball fights. I can't wait until this year's first snow. Even if I'm not a kid anymore, it'll be fun to watch the other children play," she answered with a smile.

Ichigo blinked. _Even if she's not a kid anymore_...

"Orihime, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Ichigo. What is it?"

"What is it about that Cifer guy? Why do you like him so much?" He saw the look of confusion she was giving him. "I mean, you barely know him and all."

Orihime sighed and looked away from Ichigo. "There's no set reason why I like Ulquiorra, Ichigo. I just... do. He's a special person. He's the type of person who challenges you; who dares you to try and understand him. I guess that's what I like about him."

"Oh." Ichigo bit into another dango as he looked up at the sky. "Tatsuki told me he was a jerk, albeit in a much more vulgar way."

Orihime sighed and shook her head. "Tatsuki was too embarrassed and blinded by her own anger to see the truth in what was being said to her," she whispered. She blinked when she realized that she'd said the intended thought aloud. She glanced over at Ichigo to see if he had heard. He was still staring at the sky. Orihime let out a sigh of relief.

_He didn't hear me. Good_, she thought.

Ichigo swallowed his dango and looked at Orihime out of the corner of his eye. He had in fact heard every word. He was a serial brooder and he could recognize brooding when he saw it. Orihime was brooding at the moment.

"You say you haven't been to see this Ulquiorra guy in a few weeks, eh?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Orihime looked up. "Yeah. It's just been school and dorm, dorm and school. Occasionally I go to Aizen's for tea with Rangiku."

Ichigo nodded and stood up. He held out his hand to Orihime. She looked at it and then back up at him. "How about I take you to see Ulquiorra tomorrow? You look so sad and it's making me worry. I don't like worrying about my friends, least of all you. How about it?"

Orihime smiled and took his hand. He pulled her to her feet and she hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Ichigo!"

"Anytime. Let's go. I know there's a midget somewhere who might be getting a little angry since I haven't returned her calls today..."

* * *

Rukia picked up all of Orihime's drawings out of the sitting room. Sighing, she sifted through them. There was one with her kicking Ichigo in the face. She raised her eyebrow.

_She's pretty good. If it weren't for the school uniform, I would look like some sort of kung-fu master in this one_, Rukia thought. She continued going through them. There was one with her dressed in some sort of black outfit holding a sword. Ichigo was next to her in the same outfit and his sword looked more like a giant cleaver. _So like Ichigo; over-the-top with __**EVERYTHING**_. Then she came across one with Orihime. Rukia's smile disappeared.

"Rukia, what are you doing?" Tatsuki asked as she came in the room. "Cleaning again? Orihime leaves her little doodles all over the pla... What is that **_THING_** reaching for Orihime?"

"I think it's... Ulquiorra," Rukia murmured.

It was Ulquiorra. It was a scary, horned, bat-like version of Ulquiorra. Both girls were awestruck and horrorstruck simultaneously. It was difficult to look away from a picture with such detail put into it. Orihime did not often draw herself. Upon closer inspection of her eyes in the picture, she appeared to be crying. There was such sadness in them. Rukia's eyes traveled to the big _**BACKWARDS**_ crescent moon behind the bat-Ulquiorra's horned head. Why was it there?

"Is this how she sees him or something? And is he... disappearing or something?" Tatsuki asked.

Rukia shrugged. "I have no idea. She hasn't been looking to spiffy around here lately. She goes to class and comes in here and draws. Maybe this is..." Rukia immediately hid the papers as the front door began to open. With it came Orihime's laughter.

Orihime looked up as she entered the dorm. She stepped aside to let Ichigo in. Ichigo waved and Rukia frowned, tapping her foot on the floor.

"Your fingers broken or something?" she asked.

"Well, you see... I found Orihime sitting alone in the park and I stopped to see if she was all right and..."

"Don't use me as an excuse. If I remember correctly, you said that you hadn't returned her calls at all today. That means before you saw me," Orihime said as she hung up her coat. She walked further in and noticed her drawings. "You guys have been looking at my drawings?" she asked.

"Do you always draw people in bat form?" Tatsuki asked.

Orihime bit her lip. "I just thought it was a creative way to draw him. Besides, bats are creatures that like the quiet and the dark, like Ulquiorra." She held out her hand for the papers. Rukia gave them to her as she continued her fight with Ichigo.

"Well fine. You brought Orihime home safely. Thank you. So where's our food?" Rukia asked.

Orihime gasped and looked at Rukia. "That was your food?" She glared at Ichigo. "You told me it didn't matter!" she exclaimed.

"You _**ATE**_ our food? You imbecile!" Rukia picked up the broom she had been using and began chasing Ichigo around with it. "Come back here!"

Ichigo stopped and put a finger on Rukia's forehead, effectively ending her movement. He wrestled the broom from her and tossed it at Tatsuki. Then he looked at Orihime. "I'll be by to get you after dinner."

"Okay." Orihime headed for her room as Rukia and Ichigo started fighting again. Tatsuki caught up with her.

"For what?"

"Huh?" Orihime asked as they reached her room. "Oh, he's taking me to see Ulquiorra tomorrow."

"It's against my better judgment that you should go, but do what you want." Tatsuki turned around and left.

Orihime sighed and entered her room. She sat down and listened to Ichigo and Rukia's fighting. "At least that's one thing that'll never change," she mumbled.

* * *

"My, my. Ulquiorra you are excellent at this. I am surprised at how far you've come in only a month. By the time Christmas rolls around you should be able to deliver the presents to all the boys and girls in the pediatric ward," Yoruichi said while clapping her hands.

Ulquiorra had managed to walk without braces for the first time. He was currently leaning against the wall. He was trying not to hyperventilate. He could tell it was working because he was concentrating all his remaining energy on giving the cat-eyed woman a murderous glare.

"I am not doing that," he said.

Yoruichi walked over to help him stand up straight. "Where's that holiday cheer, Ulquiorra? You've been such a sourpuss lately. You're worse than Soifon is around this time. Although, lately she's been in a rather good mood..." Her eyes drifted over to Soifon.

Soifon's eyes lifted from the magazine she was reading for a moment. Then they darted back into the pages with the same quickness.

"Definitely," Ulquiorra moaned.

Yoruichi chuckled as she helped him back into his wheelchair. "It's the subtle signs you must look for with Soifon, Ulquiorra. She hasn't thrown in insult at you in three days. I've counted. Her insults to Kisuke lack their usual potency. Believe me; they get pretty fiery. But now they're so pathetic that Kisuke can actually make a comeback. How lame is that?"

"Ghastly," Ulquiorra intoned.

"I think she's screwing around behind my back," Yoruichi muttered.

"I was under the impression that you were with this 'Kisuke' I keep hearing about."

"I am. But Shaolin tells me _**EVERYTHING**_ and she hasn't told me about _**HIM**_. I wanna know who _**HE**_ is and I wanna know _**NOW**_." Yoruichi began pushing Ulquiorra towards Soifon. "We're leaving Soifon. Are you going to get him that watch or the one next to it?"

Soifon sighed. "I'm thinking about thi..." She gasped and glanced up at Yoruichi, who was grinning mischievously. Soifon closed the catalogue and stood up. "Okay. You win. What do you want to know?"

"Why I'm just now hearing about this mysterious guy, how long this has been going on; the usual," Yoruichi said as she pushed Ulquiorra out of the room.

"Fine." Soifon followed them out.

Ulquiorra decided to tune them out. A nurse handed him a juice box as they passed by and he took to getting it open. Once he did, they had made it to the elevator. Apparently, this mysterious beau and Soifon met at the gym Soifon frequents. He pestered her relentlessly until finally, she caved in and went on a date with him. Turned out he was not as bad as he seemed. Some time in the elevator, Yoruichi asked the all-important question.

"Oh, and what's his name?"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes as he sipped his drink. _How do you forget that question? Simple-minded wo_...

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. You've seen him before. The one with the blue hair," Soifon answered.

Ulquiorra started choking on his drink as the elevator came to a stop. Yoruichi and Soifon looked down at him.

"You okay?" Yoruichi asked as she pushed him through the doors.

It took a moment for him to answer. They were at his room when Ulquiorra finally did. "Fine. I'm just..." Ulquiorra stopped.

Standing in the window, gazing out of the white blinds, was Orihime. She had not yet noticed his entrance. Yoruichi moved the chair a bit, urging him to stand. Ulquiorra did so, shakily at first. Then he took a dew steps into the room. The two therapists left, one grinning wickedly and the other looking annoyed.

* * *

Orihime was seeing what was outside of Ulquiorra's window. She had been in his room so many times but had never actually looked out of the window. Below her, there was a playground not unlike the one she was in the night before. She smiled, thinking of seeing the children that would be playing there.

_They would probably be the kids who are well enough to go outside_, she thought.

"Do you always sneak into hospital rooms?" someone whispered against her neck.

Orihime gasped and bumped her head against the window. She turned quickly and saw Ulquiorra standing in front of her. She looked him up and down before smiling. "You're standing!" Then it dawned on her. "How did you get over here?"

Ulquiorra sighed. "Woman, do not ask questions you can answer yourself." He turned away from her and headed to his bed.

Orihime watched him walk. She did all she could not to hop up and down and squeal in delight like a banshee. She simply walked back over to him, containing herself. He looked over at her as he sat on his bed. She looked in his eyes and smiled.

"You're exhausted, aren't you?" she asked.

"Utterly," he replied and looked away from her. "Grimmjow was right."

Orihime climbed on the bed and sat across from him. "About what?"

"They put you under lock and key." Ulquiorra glanced back at her. "It has been two weeks since you were last here. That wouldn't be because of me, would it?"

Orihime shrugged. "Indirectly."

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. "I met the Matsumoto woman."

"Rangiku was here? Really? What did she say? What did she want?" Orihime asked excitedly.

"Calm yourself." Ulquiorra watched Orihime nod. "She only wanted to talk. Most of it involved you. She was curious to meet me. She's the only one of your friends that I have met so far that has an inkling of intelligence," he said bluntly.

Orihime tried not to giggle as she thought of Rangiku and intelligence being in the same sentence. But then she thought that when it counted, Rangiku had more than proven herself. Then it dawned on her what Ulquiorra had said in its entirety.

"Hey! My friends are intelligent. They're just stubborn."

"And pig-headed. And controlling. And overprotective. And overbearing. Need I go on?" Ulquiorra asked.

Orihime sighed. "You shouldn't begin a sentence with a conjunction. It's grammatically incorrect." She laughed at his expression.

Ulquiorra stared into her eyes for a moment. "Now would you have said that to any of your friends?"

Orihime shook her head. She crawled forward. "They probably wouldn't have gotten the joke." She rested against his pillow, kicking off her boots. "Come lay back here with me, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra looked back at her. She was patting the pillow and yawning. He was about to obey her command when Dr. Unohana entered. The woman was holding an orange and green book. Orihime's eyes widened a bit when she saw it and she smiled.

"Welcome back, Orihime. I daresay Ulquiorra missed you. He's so standoffish when you haven't been around; even more so now that Grimmjow and Soifon are together," Unohana said.

_Are me and Yoruichi the only ones who didn't know about that_? Ulquiorra thought.

"Yes. I saw them the other day at this restaurant," Orihime said with a smile.

_I suppose so_. Ulquiorra refrained from rolling his eyes.

"What's that you have there, Dr. Unohana?" Orihime asked.

Unohana held the thin book out for them to see. Orihime took it from her and the grin on her face increased to an impossibly wide smile. Unohana looked at Ulquiorra, who was peering down at the book with a mixture of fear and disgust on his face.

"I _**LOVE**_ this book, Dr. Unohana. What do you want to do with it?" Orihime asked.

Unohana looked back at Orihime. "I'm glad you asked, Orihime. Every year, we read something over the PA system to the children in the pediatric ward just above here. This year's selection is..."

"_How the Grinch Stole Christmas_," Orihime whispered with slight awe in her voice. She looked at Ulquiorra. "_**YOU**_ can be the Grinch!"

Ulquiorra immediately frowned. "Woman, I will be no such..."

"That is an excellent idea, Orihime. You narrate and Ulquiorra can do voices. Yoruichi also informed me that you would not mind helping to pass out gifts on Christmas Day either, Ulquiorra. Is that fine?" Unohana asked.

_Did that golden-eyed were-cat just sign me up for anything and everything_? Ulquiorra thought. It was not like he could just refuse Unohana. No one said no to Dr. Retsu Unohana. _**NO ONE**_.

"Of course, Dr. Unohana. Bright and early," Ulquiorra mumbled through clenched teeth.

Orihime looked at Unohana. "I'll be here, too. I won't have much to do so I'll help here at the hospital."

"You won't be with your own family?" Unohana asked, looking at Orihime with concerned eyes. Orihime simply shook her head, the smile staying on her face. "Well, if you wish to help Ulquiorra you may."

"Thanks, Dr. Unohana."

The two watched as Unohana left, leaving the book with them. Orihime idly flipped through the pages. She knew Ulquiorra was looking at her. She finally closed the book and met his eyes.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked irritably.

"Because you are beautiful," Ulquiorra said.

Orihime almost choked on her own saliva. _Well that definitely wasn't the answer I was expecting_, she thought. She was holding her mouth open and she knew it. She even knew the shock on her face was evident. _Pull yourself together, Orihime. Just because he calls you beautiful doesn't mean you sit there like a fish out of water_! She screamed at herself.

Ulquiorra watched her quizzically. It appeared that she had frozen. "Woman, are you well?" he asked.

Orihime finally blinked from her stupor and brought Ulquiorra back into focus. "Huh?" she murmured. She shook her head. "Yeah. I'm fine." She averted her eyes away from his.

"You are several different shades of red now." Ulquiorra moved closer to her on the bed. He relaxed against the pillow.

Orihime waited a moment before falling back into her place. "Well, I don't get called beautiful often, if at all."

"It's the second time I've said you were so. Why does it surprise you that I say it again?" Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the darkened ceiling. "And who wouldn't think you are beautiful?" He turned and looked at her.

"You really believe I'm pretty?" Orihime asked.

"Woman, first of all, I said you were beautiful, not pretty. Second, I do not say things I do not mean. Think of your food." Ulquiorra looked back at the ceiling. "It'll be getting late again. Maybe you should go."

Orihime glanced over at him. "You don't want me to stay?"

Ulquiorra sighed. "If you do, It'll be Christmas when I see you again."

Orihime frowned. She reached over him for her purse. She dug around it and pulled out her cell phone. After fiddling with it for a moment, she laid back beside Ulquiorra with a grin.

"Problem solved." She snuggled up closer to him. "Goodnight, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra looked down at her. He pulled the covers over them and resumed staring at the ceiling for a few more minutes. He heard her breathing slow and realized that she had not lasted more than five minutes in the silence. Mentally shaking his head, he almost chuckled.

_Goodnight, Orihime_.

* * *

Tatsuki picked up her buzzing phone. She looked up from her books and flipped the phone open. _A text from Orihime? Wonder what it's about_...

**Staying w/Ulquiorra 2nite. C u 2morrow. Luv, Hime. :-)**

Tatsuki snapped the phone shut. She sighed. "At least she said something this time... more or less." She stood up and made her way to the kitchen. Rukia was there, still cleaning. "Orihime's staying with Ulquiorra, again."

"Again?" Rukia looked at Tatsuki and the taller girl nodded. "At least she told us this time."

Tatsuki scoffed and knocked over a pile of mail as she turned. She heard Rukia's moans and ignored them as she went to pick them up. "You shouldn't be cleaning so late any... What's this?" Tatsuki picked up a big envelope. She heard Rukia come up next to her.

"Says it's from the States. You get any mail from the States?" Rukia asked. Tatsuki shook her head. "Me neither. Brother sometimes gets some, but he that's only because he does business over there..."

"Says it's for Orihime."

"Tatsuki, we shouldn't go through Orihime's mail. That's completely invading her privacy," Rukia said loudly.

Tatsuki nodded. "I know. Here," she handed it to Rukia, "make sure she gets it. I'm going to bed. G'night, Rukia."

"Night, Tats." Rukia looked at the big envelope.

_It is awfully intriguing, though_...

* * *

_And I want to wake up with the rain  
Falling on a tin roof  
While I'm safe there in your arms  
So all I ask is for you  
To come away with me in the night  
Come away with me_


	8. 8: Knocks Me off My Feet

**AN: ThatGirl96 – Not a problem.**

_**The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face**_**: Roberta Flack, but I used the Leona Lewis version.**_**  
Wishing on a Star**_**: Rose Royce, but I used Beyoncé's version.**_**  
Save Room**_**: John Legend.**_**  
Lie to Me**_**: NE-YO.**_**  
Smash into You**_**: Beyoncé.**_**  
Silent Movie**_**: Natasha Bedingfield**_**  
Come Away with Me**_**: Norah Jones**

**

* * *

**

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 8: Knocks Me off My Feet**

**

* * *

**

Orihime strolled through the mall with Tatsuki and Rukia. The three had been there since the mall had opened and were now carrying at least eight bags each. Orihime was sure she had gotten everyone she knew a gift. She had to admit that everyone was pretty easy to shop for.

Everyone except Ulquiorra.

_He's someone who doesn't care too much about anything. I get the feeling he'd be happy if I just sat in the room with him_, she thought. Then she blushed at the thought.

"Orihime, what are you thinking about?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah. You're turning red. You feeling all right over there?" Rukia asked.

Orihime looked at her friends and let out a little laugh. "Oh, I was just thinking about something. I was holding my breath while trying not to laugh. Doesn't look like it was working," she said.

Tatsuki sighed and shook her head. "Orihime, you're the only one who finds your jokes funny."

"Hey! My jokes aren't bad. I think they're hilarious. So does Rangiku," Orihime said.

"Rangiku thinks everything is hilarious," Rukia said. She noticed a painfully recognizable head of electric blue hair. "Isn't that Grimmjow standing in that window?" She nodded ahead of her.

Orihime and Tatsuki followed Rukia's line of sight. It was indeed Grimmjow standing in front of the window of a store. He looked nervous and appeared to be sweating bullets. Orihime giggled and grabbed Rukia's arm. Rukia grabbed Tatsuki and they headed towards the much taller guy.

"Hey, Grimmjow!" Orihime said loudly.

Grimmjow nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked down and saw Orihime smiling up at him with her two friends. They were carrying a mass of bags. Kurosaki's girlfriend was avoiding eye contact while the other one looked like she wanted to attack him. They had obviously been brought to him against their will.

"Hey, chick," Grimmjow mumbled. He went back to staring in the window.

"What are you doing?" Orihime looked in the window and then up at the name of the store. She smiled and nudged Grimmjow. "Buying Soifon a little something special?" she asked slyly.

Grimmjow's face turned six different shades of red as he glared down at Orihime and the other two. They had also taken notice of the store Grimmjow was peering inside: a jewelry store.

"No!" he lied. Orihime just crossed her arms and he sighed. "Okay! Okay! Yeah, the gift is for her. But, I don't know what to get her out of there. This place is..."

Rukia sighed and grabbed Grimmjow's right arm. "Shut up and stop being a wuss. You're worse than Ichigo," she said as she pulled him inside the store.

"Hey! Don't compare me to that asswipe Kuro... Ow!"

"Shut up." Rukia turned and looked at Grimmjow. "Now, do you have any earthly idea what you want to get her?" she asked.

Grimmjow shook his head while rubbing his arm where Rukia had thumped him. "No."

"How about a bracelet?" Tatsuki asked.

"No," Orihime said. Rukia and Tatsuki looked at her. Orihime shrugged. "Soifon isn't the 'bracelet' type. You'd have to meet her to get what I'm talking about. Maybe she'd like a pair of earrings. Or a watch. Right, Grimm? Grimm?" The girls looked around.

Grimmjow had moved to another part of the store. He was looking at something in the clear case. The three girls crowded around him to look at what he was looking at. "What about these, chick?"

Orihime smiled and nodded. "Perfect. I think she'll adore them."

"If you tell anyone I was in here, I'll hunt you all down and feed you to my neighbor's dog."

* * *

Nel and Nnoitra sat in the principal's office of their high school. Nel stared out the window and Nnoitra stared at the opposite wall. The principal was talking on the phone. When he hung up, he looked out and the two teenagers. He let out a long sigh.

"This is the third time this month that I have seen you two. I don't understand the both of you. You're either fondling each other in plain sight of everyone or," he motioned to them, "beating each other senseless."

Nel glared at Nnoitra. He had a bloody nose and a knot was in the middle of his forehead. He also had scratches on his right cheek and over his arms. Nel was in no better condition: she had a shiner over her left eye and bruises on her arms like she had been squeezed.

"She started it," Nnoitra muttered childishly.

Nel gasped. "I did _**NOT**_!" she yelled just as immaturely.

Nnoitra faced her. "You did to! You _**ALWAYS**_ start it. Whenever you don't get your way, you start bitchin' and moanin' until you do. If I don't listen, you always hit me."

"That doesn't mean you have to hit me back!" Nel yelled.

"The hell it doesn't! You fight like a man, Nelliel! I'm not taking anything you dish out lying down."

"Mr. Jiruga, you should not hit girls," their white-haired principal said calmly.

"That's right, Principal Ukitake. You tell him!" Nel said, sticking her tongue out at Nnoitra.

"Miss Oderschvank, that doesn't give you the right to hit him, either. Although he does have a right to defend himself, he still shouldn't hit you and vice versa," Juushiro Ukitake said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had the same talk with them almost every month. He swore it went through one ear and out the other. "Why don't the two of you stay away from each other for awhile? Don't you think that's a good idea?"

Nel and Nnoitra looked at their principal. Nel started shaking her head fervently. "No! No. We'll stop fighting. You won't see us anymore," she said with a smile.

Ukitake sighed. _The gates of Hell opening wouldn't keep these two away from one another_, he thought.

"Very well. Nelliel, I will hold you to your word on this. Don't let me down," he said. Nel nodded. "You both may go."

Outside the office, Nel let out a sigh. She watched Nnoitra clean the blood from his nose. She opened her mouth to speak but Nnoitra beat her to it.

"Maybe we should take his advice for once," he said.

Nel frowned. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Nnoitra looked down at her. "Maybe we should stay away from each other for a bit." He saw her face contort into one of shock. "All we do is beat up on each other."

"You're breaking up with me?" she whispered, bottom lip quivering.

* * *

Orihime was walking home, umbrella open and shielding her from the snow. She had actually been wishing for snow. The streets were nearly deserted as it got darker on the college's campus. She saw a pair of legs. They had on white knee highs that were sagging and soaked. Orihime slowed down as she passed the body of a girl sitting on a stoop. She had on a hoodie that covered what appeared to be a school uniform. A lock of sea-green hair had slipped out from it.

"Nel?" Orihime asked.

Nel glanced up. Orihime's eyes widened. She could not tell whether Nel was crying or not because of the snow that had melted on her face. But she did recognize that it looked as though the teenager had been in a fight. She grabbed Nel by the arm and hauled her to her feet silently. Then she pulled her along down the street.

* * *

Tatsuki and Rukia were a little stunned when Orihime dragged the wet, shivering teenager in their dormitory. The teen was sniffling and rubbing her face, keeping them from seeing it clearly. When she finally put her hands down, Rukia gasped and Tatsuki winced.

"Orihime, what happened? Who is she?" Rukia asked, going over to help.

"This is Nel. You remember I told you about Nel, right?" Orihime asked. "Nel, we have to get you out of those wet things. I'll give you some of my clothes. Tatsuki, could you get Nel some ice?"

Nel silently pulled the hoodie over her head. Rukia took the hoodie from her and noticed Nel's arms.

"What happened to you?" Rukia asked.

Nel inhaled. "Got in a fight with Nnoitra," she said quietly as she exhaled.

Orihime came back from her room carrying towels and clothes. "_**NNOITRA**_ is responsible for this?" Nel nodded slowly. "I'm calling Harribel." She stopped when she heard Nel giggling.

"We always get into fistfights, Orihime. This is nothing special," Nel said. She looked at her arms. "This is actually relatively tame." She started sniffling.

"So why were you sitting out in the cold snow like the world was ending?" Orihime asked, handing Nel a towel.

Nel took the towel and began drying her soaked hair. The tears started to fall from her eyes. "Because it is; he broke up with me," she whispered. Then she started wailing. "I can't believe he actually broke up with me."

Rukia and Orihime looked at one another. Orihime just shrugged. Tatsuki returned from the kitchen with the ice. She saw Nel on the floor, half-dressed and still crying. She glanced over at the other two, who were still wondering what to do about the bruised teenager.

"What happened to her?" Tatsuki whispered.

"Her boyfriend broke up with her. He also did that to her," Rukia whispered.

Tatsuki's mouth hung open for a moment. Then she glared down at the crying Nel as she approached her. "Hey! Hey!" she said loudly as she kneeled down to her. "Why are you crying if the jerk that broke up with you beat you up like this? You should be jumping for joy."

Nel sniffed as she looked at Tatsuki. "Why? Nnoitra and I always fight like this. I probably broke his nose." She gasped. "That's probably why!"

Tatsuki deadpanned. "You two always fight each other like this?" she asked. She watched Nel nod slowly. "Why? You're not supposed to beat up each other."

"Dunno, really. The problem is that we always get caught. We got in trouble at school and after that he said we should stay away from each other for..." Nel broke out into tears again.

Orihime bit her lip. She had seen firsthand the type of love-hate relationship Nnoitra and Nel had. Although it looked like he would sooner throw her off a cliff than hug her, Nnoitra did care a lot for Nel. Apparently, Nel felt the same way. Orihime moved towards Nel and wrapped her arms around the sobbing teenager.

"Wh-Wh-Why? Why did he br-br-break u-u-up with m-m-me?" Nel stammered.

"Maybe he was just being... an adult about the situation, Nel. You two do get into a lot of trouble. Just give him some time and some space. I'm sure he'll come around. Now stop crying," Orihime said gently. Nel nodded, still sniffling. "Go to my room and lay down. I'll call Harribel and let her know that you're here."

Nel got up shakily. She looked at Tatsuki and Rukia and bowed. "Thank you for helping me." She turned and walked off to the room marked for Orihime.

Orihime was already on her phone when Tatsuki and Rukia went over to her. She just exhaled loudly as she listened to the ringing. When Harribel finally picked up, she was the one who spoke first.

"Have you seen Nelliel?" Harribel asked quickly.

Orihime blinked, holding the phone away from her ear a bit. "Calm down, Harribel. Nel is here. I found her moping on campus. Apparently she got into a fight with Nnoitra and they broke up. Now she's crying her eyes out," Orihime said. She heard Harribel let out a sigh of relief. "You okay, Harribel?"

"Fine. She usually doesn't disappear without Nnoitra. They've always been joined at the hip. I knew about the fight but I didn't know they actually broke up this time. I'll send Grimmjow over for her," Harribel said.

"No. She's..." Harribel hung up. "... okay." Orihime stared at the phone. Then she looked back up at Tatsuki and Rukia, shrugging. "I guess Nel's getting a ride in a few."

* * *

It only took Grimmjow 15 minutes to start banging on the dorm room's door. Tatsuki went to answer it, ready to give him a piece of her mind. However, Orihime managed to intercept her and come between the door and Tatsuki. She opened it, grinning. Then she paused.

"Grimmjow. You look..."

"... clean," Tatsuki finished for Orihime.

Grimmjow did indeed look clean. His hair looked like he had actually taken a comb through it and not just gelled his hand and run it through it. He wore a long-sleeved sweater that matched his eyes, a collared white shirt, and a pair of dark blue slacks. His blue coat matched his blue belt and he wore black boots. He also seemed mildly annoyed that he was standing there, being ogled.

Grimmjow was never annoyed when he was being ogled.

"I was going to say 'nice,' but clean'll do too," Orihime said.

"I don't have time to be eye candy for you two. Where's Nel?" Grimmjow asked. He took his hands out of his coat pockets.

Orihime nearly squealed with delight. "Grimm, are those _**MITTENS**_*?" She looked up at his sweater. "They match the color of your sweater! That is so cute! Come in! Come in!" She literally pulled the taller man inside her dorm against his will.

Rukia came out of her bedroom to see what all the noise was about. Her eyes widened when she saw Grimmjow standing in the middle of the living area. She looked him over and raised an eyebrow. He didn't look bad. But why was he dressed like that?

"Yes, they're mittens," Grimmjow murmured. "Now, where's Nel? I have to get going."

Orihime crossed her arms. "Hot date tonight?" she asked.

Grimmjow immediately looked away. Thankfully, Nel chose that moment to come out of Orihime's bedroom. She noticed Grimmjow's mittens before actually noticing the man himself. She bounced over to him and held his hand up.

"Grimmy, you're wearing mittens! They're so cute!"

Grimmjow sighed. He jumped when he saw a bright flash of light. He turned his head and saw that Rukia had taken a picture of Orihime, Nel, and his mittens. _Oh dear god, they've immortalized this moment forever. Shoot me now_.

"Rukia, I keep telling you to lock this..." Ichigo paused as he came in the dorm. He looked from Rukia, to Grimmjow, to Orihime, to Nel, to Tatsuki, then back to Rukia again. "What's going on? What's he doing here? Why do you have a camera?"

Rukia looked around. It was a terribly suspicious scene. With the exception of Grimmjow, none of the girls looked presentable. They were all dressed as if they were going to a lingerie party rather than for having company. Rukia's robe had come open while she was taking the picture. Orihime and Nel had all but tackled Grimmjow. Tatsuki was just standing off to the side, watching amusedly. Rukia hid the camera behind her back.

"Well, we were just making fun of Grimmjow. He has a certain accessory on that isn't very..." Rukia searched for the right word.

"Masculine?" Tatsuki tried.

"Mannish?" Nel gave it a go.

"Let's just say it really brings his level of machismo down," Orihime said. "They're definitely not manly."

"That doesn't answer why he's here in the first place," Ichigo said, glaring at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow shrugged Orihime and Nel away from him, careful not to knock either down. He grabbed Nel's arm. "Does it really matter, Kurosaki? I'm not about to be here." He pulled Nel towards the door.

Nel managed to turn and wave at everyone. "Bye!"

For a moment, it was silent in the dorm as Ichigo entered. Orihime, Rukia, and Tatsuki looked around at each other. Then they burst into giggles as if they knew something Ichigo did not. Ignoring them, Ichigo just headed towards the kitchen to find something to eat.

Rukia caught him. "Hey! You just can't come here and raid our kitchen!"

"Says you..."

* * *

Ulquiorra read over the pages of the thin book Unohana had given him and Orihime. He knew the general story from the 1970s stop-motion movie they showed on the television. The only reason he had ever watched it before then was because of Nel. She liked such things.

"UUUllll-quiiii-orrrrr-aaaa!" Orihime sang as she entered his hospital room. He did not look up at her and just continued to read the book in his lap. Smiling, Orihime skipped over to his bed and sat beside him. Then she placed a red and white hat on his head.

A fuzzy white ball hit Ulquiorra on his nose. He stared at it until he went cross-eyed. He heard Orihime giggle and decided to remove the offending object from his face. He ran his hand up whatever it was connected to and found out that it was some sort of fuzzy hat she had placed upon his head. Ulquiorra removed it and looked at it.

"Do you like it?" Orihime asked.

"I think it is repugnant." Ulquiorra looked at Orihime. She had her bottom lip poking out in a pout. "Don't give me that look, woman. The thing is hideous. _**SANTA**_ wears one. The green villain in this story wears one."

"Oh, don't be such a Grinch, Ulquiorra. I have one on." Orihime pointed to her head. "Does that make me repugnant and hideous?"

Ulquiorra sighed. "No, woman."

"So, that means that the hat isn't re..."

"It means that you are being thick and daft for wearing one because it impedes your beauty."

Orihime held her mouth open for a moment. Then she shoved Ulquiorra playfully and smiled. "You can't keep complimenting me in order to win an argument. It's unfair. What am I supposed to say to that? 'No. The hat is prettier than I am'? You're so cheating by doing that," she said.

"But if it gets you to smile, then I have done my job," Ulquiorra said without looking at her. He missed the confused look she gave him as he started to stand. "Come with me, woman. Soifon and Yoruichi have asked me to do a few laps around the hospital."

"You'll be able to do that?" Orihime asked as Ulquiorra stood. He nodded. "Alone?"

Ulquiorra looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. "I am with you. I will not be alone." He held his hand out to her. Orihime hid her blush behind her left hand and took his hand with her right.

_He has got to stop doing that_.

* * *

The walk outside was a rather silent one, but it was not an uncomfortable silence. It never was with the two. Soifon and Yoruichi were already waiting for Ulquiorra and Orihime. Yoruichi looked satisfied that Ulquiorra had made it on his own, albeit with a cane and a little help from Orihime. Soifon appeared to be a little edgy about something.

"Is something wrong, Soifon?" Orihime asked.

The shorter woman glanced at Orihime. "No. Why do you ask?" Her tone was short and she spoke quickly.

"Probably because you seem like a cat on a hot tin roof," Yoruichi mumbled to her friend. Soifon glared at her and started to say something in return but Yoruichi looked back at Ulquiorra and Orihime. "Orihime, where are your hats?"

Orihime gasped and held up the two Santa hats. She placed one on her head and the other on Ulquiorra's head. The look he gave her said "traitor." She just smiled nervously back and turned her attention back to Yoruichi.

"Ulquiorra, we managed to bribe Isane into letting you go for a walk around the hospital grounds. After all, how will you ever learn the proper way to walk if you don't do it on concrete again?" Yoruichi asked.

Soifon rolled her eyes. "We'll be tailing you two from a distance. That'll give you some privacy. Whenever you're tired, let us know and we'll go back inside."

The two nodded and started walking ahead of the therapists, who immediately started whispering in heated tones.

However, Ulquiorra and Orihime remained silent. Ulquiorra was wearing a white coat and his neck was wrapped in a big green scarf. Orihime found it quite fitting how almost every accessory he owned was some shade of dark green, like his eyes. She did not know if it was just coincidence or if it was really his favorite color. He still walked with his hands in his pockets. She looked down and found herself wondering if he wore gloves.

_Fortune favors the brave_, she thought with a smile.

Ulquiorra jumped as he felt Orihime take hold of his left wrist. Though he was the one who was in the hospital, he had insisted she walk on the inside of the sidewalk. Still, Orihime was now grabbing onto his wrist and trying to wrench it free of his pocket. He surrendered it to her, albeit somewhat unwillingly. Her gray eyes enlarged when she noticed what he was wearing.

"I knew it! _**MITTENS**_!" she shrieked.

Ulquiorra looked at his emerald green mitten and then back at Orihime. "Why do you find this so amusing? It's just a mitten," he said, his voice as dull as ever.

Orihime shook his head. "Grimmjow had mittens on, too. His were a blue color to match his eyes and shirt. As a matter of fact, that was as spiffy as I've ever seen Grimmjow look... Anyway, why do you own mittens, of all things? You look like a leather-gloves-kind-of-guy," she said with a giggle.

"Leather gloves? Woman, now you have me confused with the blue-haired trash. That's almost akin to me wearing leather pants."

"Ulquiorra, _**NOTHING**_ is like wearing leather pants. _**NOTHING**_," Orihime said with a laugh. "You didn't answer my question."

"They're just one of the things we both have an affinity for. When we were young, when it was cold, for some reason, we only had three mittens and we shared one. I can't remember what happened to the fourth, but it always looked like we held hands," Ulquiorra said. "What about you and your friends? Do you have any similarities?"

Orihime looked at him. "Huh? Oh, we're all exercise nuts. And for some reason Rangiku is the only reason who really enjoys my tastes in food." Here, Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "No! No one will eat her food, either. I think she gave Gin food poisoning once. Or was it an allergic reaction to sweet potatoes? Anyway, she put him in the hospital for a few days."

"Now I know never to try the Matsumoto woman's cuisine." Ulquiorra replaced his hand. He watched as Orihime wrapped her arm around his. "Did you receive any replies for medical school?"

"Did you?" Orihime asked back, staring at the sidewalk.

"Although I asked first and you are clearly avoiding the question, I will oblige you and answer." He looked down at her. "I got accepted into all five schools I applied to. No, I have not picked one and I don't plan to until spring. This is the part where you answer," he said.

Orihime sighed and leaned lightly against his arm, being sure not to put too much additional weight on him. "Yeah, I was accepted to every school, too." She looked at him again. "I was even accepted to the school in America."

Ulquiorra nodded. "You don't sound happy about that. You sound as if you have been sentenced to death. It's medical school, woman. Not prison," he said.

"I know, Ulquiorra. I just didn't think I'd get accepted. I didn't think my grades were good enough. I didn't think they'd pick me out of so many applicants."

"Do you wish to attend this school?"

"Yes," Orihime said quietly.

"Then do so."

"But what about my friends? What about my life here in Karakura?"

_What about you_?

"I believe it was you who said that you'd worn out your welcome in Karakura, woman." Ulquiorra looked down at her again. "What did that mean, anyway?"

Orihime placed her head against his shoulder. "Nothing, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra knew she had somehow finalized the conversation. He allowed her to get away with it for the time being and just kept walking. Once again, the silence was comforting between them. It allowed both to reflect on the strange relationship and bond building between the both of them.

_Is she a friend? Or maybe she means just a little bit more_, Ulquiorra thought. _I sound like that godforsaken children's story_...

Orihime blinked as a sudden warmness went through her body even as a gust of cold wind blew between them. She looked up at Ulquiorra's face. He seemed to be thinking intently about something, the Santa hat getting in his face every now and then. Smiling, she went back to looking ahead of her.

* * *

_I see us in the park  
Strolling the summer days of imaginings in my head  
And words from my heart told only to the wind  
Felt even without being said_

"_Knocks Me off My Feet" – Donell Jones_

_

* * *

_

***"Kittens out without their mittens" Get it? I couldn't resist. Sorry, Grimm. You're ripe for parody.**


	9. 9: Use Your Heart

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 9: Use Your Heart**

**

* * *

**

Orihime woke up the Monday before Christmas to hear shuffling in the front room. She got up slowly, putting on her robe and slippers. She did her usual morning hygiene and then she trudged down the small hallway towards the living room. She saw Rukia and Tatsuki standing there with a few bags in hand.

"You guys went shopping?" she asked with a yawn.

Rukia nodded and began unloading the food into the cupboards and refrigerator. "With me going into the city and Tatsuki going home, you'll be here alone. We can't have you starving, Orihime," she said.

"Orihime, are you absolutely sure you don't want to come with me this year?" Tatsuki asked, walking over to her friend.

Orihime stopped rubbing her eye and nodded. "I'm sure, Tatsuki. I'll be fine alone. Besides, I'll have Chad and Uryuu to check up on me all the time. You know Ichigo probably told them to." She looked at Rukia. "Is Ichigo going with you or are you going with him, Rukia?"

"Ichigo? Oh, he's coming to the city with me. Brother and Grandfather really want to see him," Rukia said. She turned around to see Orihime and Tatsuki looking at her with incredulous looks. "What?"

"Really?" Tatsuki asked. "Byakuya Kuchiki, snobbiest man alive, wants to meet Ichigo Kurosaki, most uncouth man alive?"

"Even I find that one hard to believe, Rukia. I mean, Mr. Kuchiki I can see, but not your brother. Byakuya is... a challenge for Ichigo," Orihime said.

"He doesn't like any of us," Tatsuki groaned.

Rukia shook her head. "That's not true! He adores Orihime. He always asks about her wellbeing when I talk to him. So, he does like her," she said.

"Rukia, who wouldn't ask about Orihime? She's like everyone's princess. And she's the only one he let's get away with calling him by his first name. The rest of us have to call him 'Mr. Kuchiki.' Gimme a break."

"Ichigo doesn't call him 'Mr. Kuchiki.' Although, he probably should. I have a feeling that it makes Brother angry..."

Orihime smiled and left her friends to their bickering over why Byakuya Kuchiki hated all of Rukia's friends bar Orihime. She instead went back to her room and opened her closet. She shuffled through the gift bags and wrapped boxes, looking for the ones that belonged to Tatsuki and Rukia. After finding them, she headed back up to the front. They were still arguing.

Orihime cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me," she said quietly.

Tatsuki noticed Orihime standing there with a shiny green box and a red gift bag. "What's that you have there?"

"This is for you." Orihime gave the green box to Tatsuki. "And this is for you." She handed Rukia the red bag. "You can't open them until Christmas. I mean it! No peeking!" she stressed.

"Okay, okay! I promise I won't." Rukia shook the bag. "I wonder what it is..."

"Oh real mature, Rukia."

The doorbell rang. Tatsuki and Rukia were too engrossed in their juvenile argument to notice. Orihime sighed and headed towards it. When she opened it, she stared up at the taller man for a moment, blinking in awe. Black sweater, white collard shirt, black trousers, light green scarf, black leather gloves, knee-length black pea coat...

Byakuya Kuchiki never failed to look dapper.

"Hello, Byakuya," Orihime said with a grin that could melt the coldest of hearts. For a moment, Orihime thought she saw Byakuya fighting to stop from smiling back.

"Miss Inoue. Is Rukia here?" he asked.

Orihime stepped to the side. "Right this way," she said.

"... and his drawings look like crap. Does the whole of the Kuchiki family draw like shit? You draw little ugly bunnies and he draws something that resembles a turd flipping me off. I can't believe he actually made a sand sculpture of that _**AND**_ it won the grand prize at the beach festival this year!" Tatsuki was yelling from her room. "Do those abominations have names?"

Rukia noticed her brother standing next to Orihime in the middle of the living room. Orihime was trying to contain her giggling and Byakuya was staring at Rukia blandly. Some noises were heard and Tatsuki emerged from her room. She froze when she saw Byakuya. She practically turned blue. Orihime swore she saw a large sweat drop form on the side of Rukia's head.

"I believe Rukia's 'abomination' is called Chappy the Rabbit. Mine is the Seaweed Ambassador. Does that answer your question, Miss Arisawa?" Byakuya asked calmly and politely.

Tatsuki swallowed and closed her mouth. She stood up straight. "Yes it does. Thank you, Mr. Kuchiki," she said.

"You're quite welcome." Byakuya turned his sharp gaze to Rukia. "Are you ready to go, Rukia? Grandfather is waiting for your arrival."

Rukia nodded fervently. "Yes, Brother. Here I come."

"Your bags?"

"There and there." Rukia pointed out her violet bags. Byakuya picked them up and headed towards the door. Rukia threw on her coat again and looked at her friends. "Bye-bye. Merry Christmas," she whispered.

Orihime and Tatsuki waved and watched as Rukia left to what seemed like impending doom. As soon as the door closed, Orihime fell over laughing. She was laughing so hard, she had tears coming from her eyes. She rolled over on her back to try and catch her breath. Tatsuki walked over to her and lightly kicked her in the side.

"It's not that funny," she mumbled.

Orihime opened her eyes. "Yeah it is. The look on your face when you saw Byakuya standing there was _**PRICELESS**_. I wish I had the power to reverse time and space. I would replay that moment over and over again. It was just that funny," she said.

Tatsuki snorted and sat down. "What the hell is a seaweed ambassador?"

* * *

Ulquiorra looked in the box that Grimmjow had handed him. The blue-haired athlete appeared nervous for some odd reason. Ulquiorra held up the big rings, examining them with his keen eyes. Then he sat them back down, closed the box, and placed them back in the gift bag. He glanced at Grimmjow, his expression giving away nothing.

"Well? You're with her a lot. Do you think she'll like them?" Grimmjow asked.

Ulquiorra sighed. "You say that as if I speak to her on a personal level. She'd sooner insult me than have a civilized conversation. You know her tastes. You should know if she'd like them; not me," he said.

Grimmjow sat back in his chair. "Why am I asking your advice on chicks? Your woman helped me pick them out anyway. You probably haven't even told her you like her."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened minutely. "I do not like her... like that."

"Heh. Sure you don't. That didn't even sound believable, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow looked towards the door as Harribel walked in. "Finally! Someone who might be of some use to me. Harribel, can I ask you a question?"

Harribel sat down next to Ulquiorra's bed, eyeing Grimmjow suspiciously. "I think so. What is it?"

"You have the 'Alpha female' personality. What would you want for Christmas?"

Harribel stared blankly at Grimmjow. She had clearly been blindsided by the question. She glanced at Ulquiorra, who immediately took this chance to excuse himself to the bathroom. Then Harribel looked back at the pleading eyes of Grimmjow.

_He really likes this Soifon, doesn't he? I've never seen him so... dedicated. I didn't think he'd go for the older woman_, she thought. _Well, she's definitely made him more mature_.

"Well, we're usually not very high-maintenance..." Harribel began.

When Ulquiorra returned, he found that Harribel and Grimmjow were on the other side of the room and talking in hushed tones. He sighed and moved to his bed just as Orihime walked in. Ulquiorra had to blink a few times at the bright green sweater she was wearing. She appeared to be carrying another one. His eyes narrowed at the offending item of clothing.

"I am not wearing that."

Orihime pouted as she sat down. "I didn't even ask yet! I didn't even say hello yet!" she complained.

"I could see it in your eyes. That thing is... scary," Ulquiorra mumbled.

Orihime laughed. "Okay. You don't have to wear this today. However, on Christmas you have to do and wear whatever I say," she said.

Ulquiorra stared at her. There was something very, very wrong with how easily she gave up. Something told him to just suck it up and wear the vomit green sweater with ugly designs today and be done with his "holiday cheer." However, his curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Fine. You may have your way on Christmas. Although, there is one thing..."

"Orihime, I was told that you have nowhere to be on Christmas," Harribel said, interrupting Ulquiorra. The latter turned his head and glared at the older woman. Harribel glared back and then turned her attention back to Orihime, softening her gaze a bit.

Orihime shook her head. "No, I don't. I was just going to help out here and then go home and make dinner for myself." She glanced up at the ceiling. "Maybe something with ham and chocolate pudding..."

Harribel winced at the sound and ham and pudding of any flavor together in the same dish. "Well, Nel wanted to invite you to dinner," she said. "Plus, Dr. Unohana is releasing Ulquiorra for the night so that he may eat, but he has to be back the next day."

Orihime nodded slowly. She turned her head and looked at Ulquiorra. He was determinedly looking at the television; something Grimmjow had also turned his attention to. Apparently, he was not going to give his say in the situation. She shrugged and looked back at Harribel while smiling. "Of course I'll come. Tell Nel I'd be honored."

"Thank you. The girl hasn't been herself since the break-up," Harribel said.

Orihime nodded slowly. "Harribel, where does Nnoitra live?" she asked.

Harribel raised a blonde eyebrow. "What?"

* * *

An hour later, Orihime found herself standing on a snowy stoop on the other side of town. Rangiku stood at her side. They stared at the large wooden door somewhat apprehensively. Then Rangiku smiled and looked at Orihime. She gestured towards the door.

"After you," she said.

Orihime took a step forward and looked around for the doorbell. There appeared to be none. The door was old and massive. It seemed there was only a knocker; an old, rustic knocker. Orihime took hold of it and lifted it. She knocked four times. Then she hustled back down a few steps, looping her arm around Rangiku's.

After a few moments, the door swung open. There was no one there. Rangiku and Orihime looked around. Then they heard a noise that sounded like "Psst!" They looked down and saw a girl with rosy pink cheeks and short pink hair. She waved up at them happily.

"Hiya!" she squealed. "Ya need something?"

Orihime stood there for a moment, blinking. Then she swallowed and took a step forward. "Hi. I'm Orihime Inoue. Is Nnoitra here?" she asked.

"Yeah! Lanky's playing video games with Baldy. He should be washing the dishes, but he paid Yumi to do it. I'm telling Ken-chan when he gets home from work. Come on in!" she said happily. She opened the door wider.

Orihime glanced at Rangiku. Rangiku nudged her forward. Orihime stumbled up the big front step and walked into the brownstone. Then Rangiku followed her. They took off their shoes and started following the little girl around.

"My name's Yachiru Kusajishi, by the way. What's yours?" she asked, looking at Rangiku.

"Oh! I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you," Rangiku said.

Yachiru nodded. She led them through the darkened brownstone. There were a lot of different rooms with old doors. The place smelled like a lot of cologne. It appeared that Yachiru was the only girl around. It was clean, though; very, very clean.

Except for the kitchen. When they passed it, there was someone washing a great many dishes piled up from what had to be at least two weeks. It also looked like a recent food fight had gone down in it. The floor had needed to be mopped. The table needed to be cleaned. The walls needed to be... washed?

Yes, the place needed a woman's touch and Yachiru was not old enough to give it yet.

"Yachiru, who was at the door?" the person washing the dishes asked without turning.

"Boobies and Super Boobies," Yachiru said happily. Orihime and Rangiku looked down at the little girl with appalled looks. Yachiru obviously did not see anything wrong with the nicknames. The person washing the dishes turned around. "That's Yumi. He's nice. Yumi, they wanna see Lanky."

"Yumi" nodded. He gestured for Orihime and Rangiku to follow him, removing the yellow gloves he was wearing. Orihime became fascinated with the feathers on his right eye. They were... exquisite. She was almost tempted to reach out and touch them.

They were taken to a room that had a lot of yelling and cursing coming from it. Every time a curse was thrown about, Orihime would flinch. Rangiku would snicker a bit. Orihime would nudge Rangiku and she would just wave her hand and laugh again. Finally, "Yumi" faced them before opening the door.

"I'm Yumichika Ayasegawa, by the way. Yachiru has a habit of giving everyone nicknames based upon observations she makes," he said.

"She just shortened your name, though," Rangiku said while crossing her arms.

Yumichika smirked. "I'm special," he said.

Somehow, Orihime and Rangiku knew that translated into: "I threatened her within an inch of her life if she called me _Feathers_ again." They looked at one another as Yumichika opened the door.

Nnoitra was walking around with his hands up in what appeared to be victory. A bald guy was sulking on a leather couch. Yumichika, Orihime, and Rangiku entered and looked around. Yumichika cleared his throat loudly, catching the attention of the two. Nnoitra stopped his victory dance and faced the two women and Yumichika.

"Who are they?" the bald guy asked, not hiding the fact that he was checking them out.

"According to Yachiru, they are Boobies and Super Boobies," Yumichika said while pointing them out.

"I'm Orihime and that's Rangiku. We're here for Nnoitra." Orihime shot Yumichika a nasty look. Orihime looked back at Nnoitra. "You're going to talk to Nel," she said firmly.

Nnoitra frowned. "What?"

"You heard her. You're going to talk to that girl. You're going to settle this whole mess with her. You're going to get back with her." Rangiku approached him. Nnoitra was a good deal taller than her. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "And if you don't, I'll smother you in your sleep. I know where you live."

"Smother me? How will you..."

Rangiku pulled Nnoitra's face into her bosom and held him there. For a moment, the pervert in him did nothing. After all, Nel was not exactly petite in that area. But then he realized that was a sizable difference between Nel and Rangiku. He had never known a woman to use her breasts as weapons of death, but Rangiku had found a way. He started flailing his arms wildly to try and get out of the hold. Rangiku winked at Orihime and relented.

"Do we have a deal? There are far better ways to die than death by Rangiku's breasts," Orihime said.

"Yeah. Fine. You just stay as far away as possible from me," Nnoitra said, glaring at Rangiku. Rangiku just winked at him.

On their way out, Yachiru tapped Rangiku. "I told ya that ya had super boobies."

* * *

Christmas Eve.

It was the day. It was Ulquiorra's day of reckoning. It was...

"Oh stop looking so morbid, Ulquiorra. We're just going upstairs to read to the kids and then you can come back downstairs and finish sulking. It'll only take a second," Orihime said as she straightened his hat on his head.

Ulquiorra stared blandly at her with sad green eyes. "I have never thought what it would have been like if our roles were reversed until this very moment, woman," he said.

Orihime picked up the book. "You don't mean that, Ulquiorra."

"Don't I?" he asked as she pulled him to his feet.

Orihime rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. "It's almost eight. We have to get upstairs now. You remember how I told you to read everything? You have to sound like a bad guy. Then at the end you have to sound like you've just an epiphany. Got it?"

"This is all so simple for you. You're just the narrator."

"But I still have to read it with feeling. I can't very well read it in a dreary monotone like you. Plus, this book rhymes. It's hard to do that with rhymes."

They took the elevator one floor up. Unohana and Yoruichi were waiting for them at the nurse's station. Orihime led Ulquiorra around it and they sat down and looked up at the two women.

"Now, get everyone's attention using this." Unohana pointed to the microphone. "Then you may begin your presentation. Make sure to speak clearly and not too fast," she said.

"What's wrong, Ulquiorra? You look like you're going to a funeral. You should be happy we're not asking you to dress up like an elf and parade around like that," Yoruichi said.

Ulquiorra shot his therapist an nasty look and totally missed the small, evil grin that came to Orihime's face beside him. "I am quite thankful for that, Yoruichi. I am just not the cheery type."

"Well, be cheery for fifteen minutes. I will not have you ruining Christmas for my children," Unohana said, smiling at Ulquiorra. Even with a smile, there carried some sort of threat within those words. Both Ulquiorra and Orihime nodded slowly at the woman. "Good. Well, you may begin. Come along, Yoruichi. Let's leave them alone."

"Bye-bye," Yoruichi threw over her shoulder as she walked off with Unohana.

Orihime handed the microphone to Ulquiorra and opened the book. "Get everyone's attention. Tell them what we're reading and stuff."

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime. Sighing, he turned on the microphone. "Good evening..."

Orihime sighed and grabbed the microphone from him. "Good evening, boys and girls. My name is Orihime. Tonight, I'll be reading you a little story about Christmas. I'll be joined by a little friend of mine. You'll know when he's here because he'll be the _Grinch Who Stole Christmas_!" she said with all the zeal in the world. She sat the microphone down and glared at Ulquiorra.

_Well if that's how she's going to do it_... Ulquiorra thought as a chorus of cheers sounded throughout the halls. _So the children like this story_...

"_Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot. But the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, did NOT! The Grinch _hated_ Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No on quite knows the reason. It _could _be his head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all May have been that his heart was two sizes too small_."

Ulquiorra had to admire the way Orihime read the story. She sounded so enthusiastic. Even though no one was watching her but him, she made the faces as if she was reading to an audience of children. He was so engrossed in her features that he almost missed his queue; Orihime had to elbow him.

"_And they're hanging their stockings_!"

"_... he snarled with a sneer_."

"_Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here_!"

Orihime contained her giggles at the false voice Ulquiorra was using. "_Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming_..."

Ulquiorra made a noise with his nails near the microphone. "_I_ _MUST find some way to stop Christmas from coming_!"

He went back to watching Orihime narrate. This was obviously the part she enjoyed reading. She used her voice to great effect when doing the repetition of the words. Ulquiorra could hear the children in their rooms laughing at her antics as she read.

"_And the more the Grinch thought of this _Who-_Christmas-Sing, the more the Grinch thought_..."

Ulquiorra blinked and looked down at the page. "_I must stop this whole thing! Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now! I MUST__ stop this Christmas from coming! But HOW_?"

"_Then he got an idea_." Orihime got closer to the microphone. "_An awful idea. THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA_!" she very nearly growled. Orihime looked up to see Ulquiorra's staring at her with widened eyes. She just smiled and shrugged.

They continued reading together, Orihime narrating and Ulquiorra piping in whenever the Grinch spoke. Orihime was vaguely aware of Ulquiorra examining her as she read the story. She never looked back at him, though. It would only make her crack in her words, she was sure. So, she pretended that she did not notice.

_Though I'm sure he can see through that_, she thought as she turned a page.

"_Every _Who _down in _Who-_ville, the tall and the small, was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, stood puzzling_:"

"_How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags_!"

"_And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before_!"

"_Maybe Christmas_..."

Orihime tried to shake her hair from her face as she read. "... _he thought_..."

"... _doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps_," Ulquiorra moved Orihime's hair from her face and she looked at him, "_means a little bit more_."

Orihime stared at Ulquiorra for a moment. He nodded towards the book and she jumped, realizing that there had been a long pause. "_And what happened then...? Well... in _Who-_ville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day! And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, he whizzed with his load through the bright morning light and he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he... HE HIMSELF...! The Grinch carved the roast beast_!"

After the story ended, they were greeted with another round of applause from the different rooms. Orihime smiled and sat back. She looked at Ulquiorra. As usual his face was unreadable.

"I think they liked it," she said.

"You are such a lively reader," Ulquiorra said.

"Flattery will get you nowhere. You were pretty good as the Grinch. But your Cindy-Lou was golden." Orihime snickered, remembering the falsetto Ulquiorra had used for the little girl's voice. It had taken her completely by surprise and she had almost fallen out of her chair because of it.

Ulquiorra slowly stood. "Yes. That will stay between us. Won't it, woman?" He looked at her and narrowed his eyes.

"Of course."

* * *

Back in Ulquiorra's hospital room, Ulquiorra watched Orihime pack her things. It had started to snow again outside. He wanted to tell her to stay, but he did not know how to go about doing it. He knew she would be alone when she got back to her dorm. He knew she would wake up alone and probably make herself some disgusting concoction and head over to the hospital. But something told him that she should not be alone.

"Woman?" he said.

Orihime turned her head as she picked up her tote bag. "Yes?" she replied, pulling on her gloves.

"Why aren't you leaving for these holidays?"

Orihime swallowed. She looked down at her gloved left hand. "Because I have no one to go see," she said quietly. She glanced back up at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra immediately felt a bit guilty at making her answer him. "I am sorry for prying," he said.

She shook her head. "No. It's fine. I've gotten used to being on my own. It's been that way since I was young," she said. "It kinda explains why everyone is always so protective of me." Orihime sat down on the bed.

Now Ulquiorra was interested. "There's a reason?"

"Of course. You thought they were just overprotective for no reason?" she asked. Her answer was a bland look. Orihime giggled and shook her head. "Well, I lived alone with my brother after we left home. That was how I met Tatsuki. Then my brother got into a car accident. That was how I met Ichigo, as his father owned the clinic. My brother died in that accident. Tatsuki and Ichigo are the most protective, but the others followed their lead as our group grew bigger. Until college, I lived alone. Then Tatsuki and Rukia made sure that we were together all four years of college."

"You didn't get into any other college except Karakura?" Ulquiorra asked.

Orihime nodded. "I desperately wanted to attend Tokyo University. But, Rukia and Tatsuki didn't get in. Only Uryuu got in. He went there for two years before coming back here." Orihime noticed Ulquiorra's look. "I couldn't just leave Tatsuki and Rukia. They would've been worried."

"I think you worry far too much on what they worry about," Ulquiorra said.

Orihime removed her gloves and jacket again. She got comfortable next to Ulquiorra. "Yeah well. I'm caring like that."

Ulquiorra looked down at her face. "You are leaving something out. Tell me everything. I'm listening," he said.

Orihime raised her head. He was still looking at her. "You're going to think this is silly..."

"Woman, nothing you could say will possibly make me think any less of you. I've already called you silly before over something trivial. Why would I do it over something that has obviously hurt you?" he asked.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "You've never met Ichigo, but you've met his girlfriend, Rukia. I had the biggest crush on him for the longest time. But I never told him. Ever. I'm not even sure he realized it. I didn't exactly make it noticeable. But then he started dating Rukia and it felt like something shot me in the heart. How could I be jealous of my own best friend? It wasn't like I told Rukia I liked Ichigo. If she had known, she probably would've helped me handle the situation better. But... no..."

"That is why you were crying when I woke up," Ulquiorra muttered.

Orihime's eyes widened. She chuckled a bit. "Usually, I'm pretty good at just holding it all in and pushing it all to the back of my mind. But now I think it's actually starting to get to me; the crush and overprotectiveness. Right before you woke up, it felt like the bottle had filled and now was bursting. I couldn't hold it in anymore. Then you woke up."

"You block everything out?"

"Yep. I don't get angry. I'm not a fighter. I've always had someone else to fight my battles for me. I don't really know how to be... strong, I suppose." Orihime closed her eyes again. "What about you? Are you a fighter, Ulquiorra? Are you strong?"

Ulquiorra pondered the question for a moment. "When I need to be."

"I think you're strong all the time. I don't really see the softer side of you," Orihime mumbled.

"You have taken to relaxing on me at free will. Only Lilynette is afforded such a luxury," Ulquiorra said into her hair.

"So I'm special?" Orihime asked, looking up at Ulquiorra. He said nothing and just rested his chin on the top of her head. Orihime smiled to herself.

_Well I guess I am_.

* * *

_Alone  
You and I intertwine  
Refreshing  
Conversation for the mind  
As we stare  
We both seek and hope to find  
Real love  
Purified_

"_Use Your Heart" – SWV_

_

* * *

_

**AN: I don't own _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_. I love all Dr. Seuss books and own almost all of them (I'm such a kid). The best one is _Oh, the Places You'll Go_. I highly recommend it, for the young and old alike. It makes you feel good.**


	10. 10: Without You

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 10: Without You**

**

* * *

**

Ginrei Kuchiki was an old man. He had retired for the explicit purpose that he may live out the rest of his days in peace and tranquility. So that he could see his daughter Hisana and her husband continue to trek across the globe. So that that he could watch his grandchildren Byakuya and Rukia grow into the fine adults they were now. So that he could watch as Byakuya took his place among the Kuchikis before him and took over the family business. So that he may one day see his great-grandchildren before he left the world of the living.

Nowhere in Ginrei Kuchiki's great plan of serenity did it include listening to Rukia and her flame-headed boyfriend argue about how whether or not to spell Christmas out or abbreviate it as "Xmas." From the short interactions that Ginrei had with Ichigo Kurosaki every now and then, he still did not know much about the boy. He knew that he was loud. But then again, so was Rukia. He knew that he was brash. So was Rukia. He also knew that Ichigo Kurosaki cared very much for Rukia. Rukia also cared very much for him.

It appeared as though the two belonged together. They fit together remarkably well.

Byakuya, however, could care less about that. Byakuya was the big brother and all he saw was another male hovering over his baby sister. Ginrei just sat back and enjoyed watching the terse interactions that the two men made with one another and Rukia trying desperately to get them to talk civilly. He found it rather amusing.

"Grandfather, what is wrong with them? Why are they so pig-headed?" Rukia asked as she sat down next to her grandfather. She was covered in either cookie or cake batter and she looked exhausted.

That was one thing Ginrei also prided himself on; making his family work. During the holidays, he gave every employee a vacation. That meant that they were on their own when it came to Christmas dinner. Thankfully, Rukia was a good cook. Byakuya was all but banned from the kitchen and fit to do nothing but wash dishes (something he hated). The microwave even hated Byakuya.

"They are remarkably alike, if you look closely. Young Kurosaki says everything Byakuya is _**THINKING**_. That is the only difference. Byakuya knows how to hold his tongue while Kurosaki does not; much like Hisana." Ginrei checked the time. "Isn't Yoruichi supposed to be coming? I heard she was bringing a guest."

"Yoruichi Shihouin? I didn't know you invited her," Rukia said.

Byakuya entered the room. "Grandfather did not. I did," he said curtly, indicating that he was not going to explain why he did. "Along with Urahara, she is bringing Soifon. I was led to believe Soifon has a date as well."

Rukia clasped her hands together. "Well, we all have guests now!" Then she thought about it for a moment. "Wait, Grandfather, you don't have a date. Neither do you, Brother. You can be Grandfather's date."

Before Byakuya could refute that, Ichigo's voice was heard from the kitchen. "Rukia! Rukia your rice is starting to boil over!" he yelled.

"Then turn it off, numb nuts!" Rukia got up and ran towards the kitchen.

Ginrei shook his head as the doorbell to the penthouse rang. He started to rise to go answer it, but Byakuya held up a hand. The old man rested easily back in his seat as his grandson walked off. He smirked to himself; between Soifon and Byakuya, he did not know who hated Kisuke Urahara more.

_The holidays are always so entertaining_, he thought with a small chuckle.

* * *

Byakuya answered the door. The first face he saw was not one he wanted to see. He would have given anything to see cat-like golden eyes and a mischievous smile. What he got was a man with pale blonde hair in a dark green elf's hat with a bell, eyes hidden from the world, with an equally as mischievous smile on his face. Yoruichi was standing slightly behind him, giggling with a red Santa hat on.

"Hi, Byakuya! Merrrrrry Christmas!" Kisuke Urahara said happily.

Yoruichi came around Urahara. "Are you gonna just stand there or let us in, Little Byakuya? It's cold in this hallway and I have guests," she said.

Byakuya clenched his teeth together. "Right this way." He stepped to the side, allowing them entry. He nodded as Soifon passed him. She nodded back. A much taller man that looked no older than Ichigo or Rukia was behind her. His hands were tucked safely in his pockets and he had a scowl on his face that was deeper than any Soifon could cook up. Byakuya closed the door behind them.

* * *

After greeting Ginrei, Yoruichi pulled Soifon to the kitchen. She saw Ichigo moving around the kitchen, obediently helping Rukia out. She crossed her arms and smiled. "Well, isn't this sweet? I wish Kisuke was more like this. You've got a keeper here, Rukia," she said.

Rukia's head snapped towards Yoruichi and she turned red. "Oh, well, Ichigo is just really helpful. That's all," she said.

Yoruichi nodded and stepped forward. "Well, he can be helpful elsewhere." She grabbed a towel and hit Ichigo with it. "Out! Let the women take over from here. Go and make nice with the men. I'm sure you'd get along with Kisuke," she said.

"Yeah. _**EVERYONE**_ gets along with Kisuke..." Soifon mumbled.

* * *

Ichigo walked out of the kitchen, mumbling to himself. When he saw the other four men congregated around the living room's coffee table he quickly took the only "safe" seat in the place: next to Urahara. The jolly man immediately extended his hand to Ichigo, a wide smile on his face.

"Kisuke Urahara. You are?"

Ichigo blinked a few times and took Urahara's hand. "Ichigo Kurosaki," he said.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. He glanced up. The name he heard could not have been right. He looked across from him and saw Ichigo talking nervously with the Urahara guy that Yoruichi had brought with her and that Soifon wanted to murder. It only took Ichigo a single glance to realize that Grimmjow was sitting across from him, next to Byakuya.

Rukia entered with a tray. "Who wants egg..."

Grimmjow and Ichigo stood at the same time, shocking the small woman. "_**YOU**_!"

* * *

"_Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting-tingling too. Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you. Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling 'yoo hoo!' Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_!" Gin and Rangiku sang drunkenly.

Toshiro rolled his eyes. _It's a wonder they can remember the words right_, he thought as he switched the cookies out. _Why am I doing all the cooking_?

"Need some help?" a sweet voice asked from behind him.

Toshiro looked up and saw Momo Hinamori standing there. "Sure." He stepped out of the way, handing her some mitts in the process. He looked back over to Rangiku and Gin as they continued singing loudly and slightly off key.

"They really love each other don't they?" Momo said as she took the cookies off the sheet. She noticed the strange look Toshiro was giving her. "Don't look at me like that. It's so obvious. Why else would they make complete fools of themselves together like that?"

"_Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we. We're snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be. Let's take that road before us and sing a chorus or two. Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_!"

Momo giggled. "That verse actually matched them perfectly," she said. "They'd be nothing without one another."

"Nonsense." Toshiro set the cookies out. "They just look like a couple of drunk fools. They always get drunk before Christmas dinner. Then they just get more drunk when Hisagi, Kira, and Renji get here. And I'm stuck washing dishes."

"Shiro, you are such a Scrooge!" Momo said. Her response to that was an evil glare. "Who thinks of the good times in such a negative fashion? You're young! Live it up!" Momo took his hand and pulled him towards the floor where Gin and Rangiku were.

"Momo, what are you doing?" Toshiro tried to wriggle from her grasp.

"I know you know the words. We had to sing them in school. So, _**SING**_," Momo said dangerously.

Rangiku turned and noticed the two. She sat her eggnog down and tapped Gin. He did the same. "Wanna join in?" Rangiku asked. Momo nodded with a smile. "Ya gotta have some eggnog to sing with us!"

"I'll..." Toshiro practically had the stuff shoved down his throat. He coughed a bit; it was alcoholic eggnog. "Figures," he mumbled.

"Lessee... Where were we. Gin?"

"Second ta las' verse, Ran," Gin said as he snuggled her neck.

"_There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy. When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie. It'll be like a picture print at Currier and Ives. These wonderful things we remember all through our lives_!" Momo sang proudly and Toshiro sang while looking less than pleased about it.

"_Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting-tingling too. Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh together with you. Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling 'yoo hoo!' Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_!"

"Ish lovely weather fa a shleigh ride togetha wit' ya, Ran," Gin mumbled incoherently.

"Take me on dat ride, Gin," Rangiku said just as incoherently.

This caused Toshiro and Momo to look and see what the two were doing exactly. Their eyes widened and they immediately rushed to leave the room. Momo was holding back giggles while Toshiro was trying desperately to clear his mind of the mental picture.

* * *

"I will never forgive you for this."

"Come on, Ulquiorra! Where's that Christmas spirit?"

"I look like an idiot."

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra in the mirror. She straightened his little collar on his elf costume. Then she straightened his hat. She shook his bell and smiled. "I think you look adorable. Now stop frowning and looking like you're going to your death. We're going toy drop off a few toys and then Harribel is going to pick us up," she said.

Ulquiorra glared at her. "At least your costume is... decent. I look ridiculous," he said.

Before Orihime could say anything, Dr. Kotetsu came through the door. She took one look at Ulquiorra and smiled. Then she looked at Orihime. Orihime was dressed in her own version of a Santa dress. "You two look adorable. Are you ready? You toy cart is upstairs."

"Yep. I just need Ulquiorra to stop frowning. He'll scare the children," Orihime said, nudging Ulquiorra.

* * *

When the two got upstairs, a filled cart was waiting for them. The first box Orihime picked up was addressed to first room on the hall. She knocked on the door. When she heard nothing, she slowly pushed it open. "Merry..."

Two little boys zoomed past her. Their giggling could be heard throughout the floor as they ran past nurses at top speed. Orihime could only watch. She had seeming set demons free. Luckily, the pediatric ward was nothing but a gigantic circle. When the boys came back, Ulquiorra intercepted them easily by their collars.

"My, you two are fast. Why did you try to knock me down?" Orihime asked as she approached them. "I shouldn't give you the gift Santa brought for you..."

The boys shook their heads immediately. "No! We'll be good," one of them said.

"We promise," the other said. They were obviously twins. They grasped hold of each others hands and their eyes began to water. Orihime immediately felt her heart breaking. Ulquiorra simply rolled his eyes and sat them on the floor.

"I'm Santa's helper, Orihime. That's Santa's _**OTHER**_ helper, Ulquiorra. Who are you two?"

"I'm Sogy. This is Koto," one of the identical twin boys said.

"Well, Sogy and Koto. It looks like I have two gifts here: one for Sogyo and one for Kotowari. Is that you?" The boys nodded quickly. "Okay. You can't open them until I leave. And no more running around being naughty. Promise?" Orihime held out her pinky fingers. The boys took them and squeezed.

"Promise!"

Then Santa's two helpers continued down to the next room. A girl with only one eye answered the door. The rest of her face was covered as well. Her eye darted between Ulquiorra and Orihime.

"Kyokotsu, who is it?" another voice asked. The girl stepped out of the way, revealing another one-eyed girl with curly purple hair. She smirked at Orihime and Ulquiorra. "I'm Katen. That's Kyokotsu. She doesn't talk much."

Orihime nodded. "That's quite all right. I'm used to silence. I have gifts for the both of you." Orihime faced Ulquiorra. He handed her the gifts for the girls. They were tiny boxes, possibly jewelry of some sort. "Merry Christmas, girls."

"Merry Christmas," Katen said. Kyokotsu nodded to both Ulquiorra and Orihime.

They were halfway through the gifts (Orihime had come into contact with a boy who bore a strange resemblance to Ichigo), when Santa's helpers heard a lot of screaming and yelling coming from one particular room.

"No! I don't wanna! Not again! No!" It was a girl. Right after screaming, she went into a violent coughing fit.

"Haineko, you have to. It's the only way..."

Something crashed against the wall. It sounded as if the girl had thrown something. "I said I'm not doing it! Now go away!" she yelled.

Orihime looked down at her list. "Haineko" just happened to be next. She listened to the nurse's try to console the girl some more, but nothing was working. Finally, Orihime stepped forward, a bright smile on her face.

"Hello!" she said loudly. Everyone turned and looked at the college student dressed like a young Mrs. Claus. "I have a gift here for... Haineko. That wouldn't be you, would it?" Orihime asked.

Haineko blinked a few times. She coughed a little while nodding. "Yeah, I'm Haineko. Where'd the gift come from? What's it for?" she asked.

"It's Christmas! Who cares what it's for! However, I don't think Santa would like it if I gave the gift to someone who hurls lamps across the room." Orihime motioned towards the fallen lamp. She began approaching Haineko. The nurses moved out of her way. "Now, tell me what's wrong and we'll see if we can think of something."

Ulquiorra watched with interest. Orihime had only been told to give out the gifts, but she had been helping the troubled children along the way. She knew how to talk to them. She knew how to get through to them. It was amazing to see.

"You don't like the syringe." Orihime watched the girl nod. "When I was younger, I hated it as well. But, I used to close my eyes and think of something to take my mind off the pain; something silly or something that made me happy. Like a samurai fighting robotic cookies that want to take over the world," she said. "Can you picture something like that?"

Haineko closed her eyes. "Yes. It's me as a cat-woman in a land of ash that I can control. I'm sure that sound pretty stupid." Haineko opened her eyes. She noticed that the nurse was patching her up. "What happened?"

"See? You didn't even feel it," Orihime said with a smile. She held out Haineko's gift. The girl took it. "Merry Christmas, Haineko."

Orihime walked back over to Ulquiorra. He was giving her a strange look. It was hard to place it because it was one he had never given her before. It was not a disdainful look or anything. It was a kind look; an appreciative look. It made Orihime feel special. She put her hands to her face to hide her blush and kept walking.

* * *

Harribel was indeed waiting for them when they returned to Ulquiorra's room. Since Orihime was the first to walk in, her outfit did not come as a surprise. She figured Orihime would dress for the occasion. However, when Ulquiorra walked in dressed like an elf, Harribel's lip twitched ever-so-slightly and she had to lower her head to keep from laughing.

"On time, as usual, Harribel." Orihime looked at Ulquiorra. "Are you going to change, Ulquiorra?"

The look on Ulquiorra's face was all the answer Orihime needed.

Orihime knew from hearing vague bits and pieces of conversations that Harribel lived on the other side of town and a fair distance from the university and hospital. She had no idea that she lived on the edge of town. She lived even further away than Nnoitra had lived.

Harribel's home took up a whole block. It looked more like an office building than a house. There were several cars surrounding it. However, Harribel got the one spot that led to the garage. She got out and looked at the path that needed to be shoveled. Her left eye twitched and she stalked to the front door in the snow, Orihime and Ulquiorra following.

"Ulquiorra, you're not supposed to walk in the snow," Harribel said, not looking back at him.

"I'm fine," Ulquiorra said firmly.

Harribel turned and looked at him. "Suit yourself." She was not going to argue with him. Her philosophy was that people learned from experience. If Ulquiorra fell and broke his legs again, it was his own fault. He would heed her words next time.

When they made it inside, Orihime looked around. The place was lit dimly, but she could see bright lights coming from not too far off. Harribel held out her hand for her coat. Orihime hastily removed it. Harribel disappeared, leaving Ulquiorra and Orihime standing in the enormous foyer.

"This is where you grew up?" she whispered, walking around timidly.

Ulquiorra placed his hands in his pockets and followed her around. She seemed so engrossed in what he saw a simple place. "No." He watched her turn to face him. The words were on her lips. "Would you like to see where I grew up?"

"But we just gave Harribel our..."

"We will not be gone long." Ulquiorra held his hand out. Orihime took it.

* * *

Harribel jabbed a very large man in the ribs. He turned and faced her. A nervous smirk came to his face.

"Tia! You're back! You're back so early, too," he said.

"You seem surprised about that, Yammy. I thought I asked you to shovel the path. Tell me why there is still an abundance of snow there," she said.

The one known as Yammy sighed. "I'll go do it."

"Thank you." Harribel looked around. She heard fighting coming from the kitchen. She walked in to see five girls arguing over who was cooking what, how to cook what, and who was in whose space. She sighed and walked forward. "Ahem!"

All five turned immediately and gasped. "Harribel!"

"How is dinner coming, ladies?" she asked, knowing it was probably a fruitless question. She could probably walk in there and fix the mess they made in less than an hour and dinner would be done, whereas it would take another three with them.

"Wonderful, Harribel. We'll be ready to eat in no time at all," Apache said.

Harribel nodded. "Good. Don't let me down. I'll be back to check on you in thirty minutes."

Harribel made her way to the second floor, immediately dodging Yachiru and Lilynette. She rolled her eyes. If Yachiru was here, so was Kenpachi and his group. That also meant Nnoitra was here. Then Harribel blinked. If Nnoitra was here, that meant that he was probably with Nel. She started for the third floor and immediately went to Nel's room. She bypassed knocking and opened the door.

Nel kicked Nnoitra off of her just as Harribel opened the door. She sat up and straightened her red sweater and smiled at Harribel. Harribel rolled her eyes. She shut the door and continued her way up the stairs. She finally made it to the fifth floor and to the only room there: her room.

"... sleep," she murmured as she kicked off her shoes and lay down on her bed.

"A wonderful thing, isn't it?" a voice said from behind her.

"Shut up and move over, Starrk."

* * *

Orihime shivered as she stared at the little rundown apartment building. It was now boarded up and condemned. "So this is it?" she asked into the wind. She did not really expect an answer.

"Yes." Ulquiorra looked further down the street and pointed to a dark alley. "That is where Harribel first found Grimmjow and me, though. We were hiding from shopkeepers. We moved around a lot before she finally settled here," he said.

Orihime looked over to what was literally a hole in the wall across the street. She did not quite understand how two little boys could have survived on their own; especially as young as they had been before meeting Harribel. So far, Ulquiorra never talked about where he and Grimmjow met or how he came to be alone. She was almost too afraid to ask.

"You are cold. We should return," Ulquiorra said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Orihime nodded and followed him back quickly.

* * *

Ulquiorra had an abundance of people in his makeshift family. While he and Grimmjow had been the first, Harribel had no aversion to taking in more as the years had gone by. There was Yammy Rialgo, a rather large fellow who was prone to bouts of rage. There were the three sisters who fought all the time: Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila-Rose. For whatever reason, they worshipped the very ground Harribel walked on. Menoly and Loly eyed Orihime constantly like they wanted to strangle her; Orihime could only assume that was because of her proximity to Ulquiorra. And there was Szayel Aporro Granz. Orihime only saw Szayel for at the most thirty seconds before he grabbed his plate and disappeared.

She was bombarded with questions as if she was being interrogated for a crime or on trial. It went on all through dinner until Ulquiorra put a stop to it with an icy glare. Still, Loly asked for one more question and Ulquiorra relented.

"When you first saw Ulquiorra, what was your first thought?" Loly asked.

Orihime raised an eyebrow. "Before or after he was hit by the car?" This earned a few laughs, but she was serious. Orihime had thought two very different things between that time.

"After," Menoly piped.

Orihime thought back for a moment. Everyone seemed to be hanging on her every word. She looked at Loly and Menoly. "That aside from the fact that he was bruised and bloody, he was beautiful," she said.

* * *

Not too much later, Orihime found herself wandering around the large house. It was huge. She knew it had to have many rooms to support so many people, but she never thought it held so many. The one thing she noticed was that it was kept so dark.

"I wonder what they would call this place if they gave it a name..." she thought aloud.

"Las Noches," Ulquiorra said in her ear.

She jumped about a mile in the air, almost dropping her gingerbread cookies. She faced Ulquiorra, frowning. Then she noticed that he was leaning against the wall. "You walked up all the flights by yourself? Ulquiorra..."

"I am fine. Stop your fawning over me." He stood up straight, though it obviously pained him. "We call this place Las Noches on account of it always being so dark. The only light in the hallways comes from candles and the windows. Follow me."

Ulquiorra led Orihime around the corners of the fourth floor. He came to a solitary door and opened it. The room was quite dusty and looked as though it had not been lived in for quite some time. Orihime could only deduce that it was his room, given its state. She watched him take a seat on the bed and stretch his legs out in front of him.

"Why do you try to hide your pain from me? I can see right through you, you know," Orihime said. She stalked over to him. "Is this your room?"

"Can you not tell?" Ulquiorra asked.

She shrugged. "That's true. It's so plain. It's so clean. It's so... you. I must say that when I imagined what your room would be like, I imagined white walls and black furniture," she said. She sat down on the black comforter on his bed. "I wasn't too far off. But, you do have this green blanket. You never fail to amaze me."

Ulquiorra looked away from her. "I like that color. I believe I'm also starting to grow a fondness for the color gray..." he trailed off.

"You're so lucky, Ulquiorra," Orihime said with a sigh.

"Lucky, you say? How am I lucky?"

"You have such a big family. Even if they aren't your real brothers and sisters, they're still like family to you. You've watched each other grow. I never really had that." She looked up at the ceiling. "That used to be my Christmas wish to Santa; a family. He always brought me a toy or something, though. I guess Santa doesn't make families."

"_Santa_ doesn't make toys, either," Ulquiorra said. He watched Orihime wrinkle her nose at him. "He doesn..."

Orihime hit Ulquiorra with a pillow off his bed. "You're such a spoilsport; the supreme mood-killer. I believed in Santa until I learned the horrible truth. I also believed in the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny."

"And pixies and sugar make the stars twinkle at night," Ulquiorra murmured only to receive another pillow to the face. He grabbed Orihime's wrists and wrestled her down on the bed. "You will stop assaulting me with the pillow, woman."

"Then stop ruining my childish beliefs," she said.

Ulquiorra frowned slightly. "You are not one to be childish very often anymore," he said.

Orihime thought for a moment. "You're probably right." It was then that she noticed their position and his proximity. He did not seem to have a problem with it. In fact, he seemed rather comfortable, holding her in position. "You can let me go, Ulquiorra," she said.

Ulquiorra looked at her wrists and immediately released them. He glanced back down into her eyes. "I did not hurt you did I?"

She immediately shook her head. "No. No, you didn't. It was just," she blushed, "awkward."

"You must find being in the vicinity of me awkward. You flush like that quite often whenever you are around me." Ulquiorra got closer to her face. "Usually, I don't really need to say much. A simple fleeting look is all it takes."

Now Orihime was sure she was red as a tomato. Before she could say anything to refute Ulquiorra's words, he was rolling away from her and standing. She sat up quickly, wondering what had just happened. Then she looked up, seeing him heading for the door. Orihime bit her lip, squeezing the edge of his bed.

_Let go of the bed and move your feet, Orihime. You can do this_! she yelled at herself. She nodded and pushed herself up.

Ulquiorra barely had time to register that Orihime was walking up behind him before she turned him around. She rose up on her toes and kissed him with all her might. All he could do was stand there wide-eyed. She pulled away, looking just as confused as he did. She even looked slightly embarrassed.

"There. I did it." She glanced up at him and smiled nervously. "Okay. Bye-bye." She started to hustle away from him.

Ulquiorra shook out of his daze and reached for her hand. It was his turn to pull her back to him. He looked down at her red face. "You have flushed again."

Orihime fiddled with her hair around her ears. "Well, I just did something very foolish and I'm sure I made an ass of myself. Did I just say 'ass?' Oh dear! Now I'm cursing like a sailor. Look at me. Now I'm even nervous. I ramble when I'm nervous. Damnit! How do I acknowledge that I'm rambling and nervous and continue to do it? Did I just say 'damnit.' I'm _**STILL**_ cursing? Someone sho..."

Ulquiorra kissed her. He cupped her chin before drawing back slowly. "Please cease this chattering," he said. He watched her nod with her eyes still closed. Shook his head and kissed her again.

* * *

"Yeah okay. So it's what? Twelve pipers pipin', eleven lords a-leapin'..." Hisagi asked drunkenly.

"Naw, naw, naw! Ya got it all wron'!" Gin sat up a bit off the cushions he was on. "It's twelve drummas drummin', ele'm pipers pipin', ten ladies dancin..."

"_**NINE**_ ladies dancin'..." Kira corrected. "It's ten lords a-leapin'. Then it's eight swans a-swimmin'..."

"I tink it's seven swans a-swimmin'," Renji murmured.

"Then wha's eight?" Gin asked, sounding sad. "Ran? Ran?"

"Oh for the love of..." Aizen stood up and looked at the drunk men who were sprawled over his cushions, the lone female (Rangiku) already passed out over Gin and Hisagi. "It's twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and..."

"_**A SAKE BOTTLE TO PUT IT ALL IN**_!" the four drunk men yelled.

"... a partridge in a pear tree," Aizen murmured, sitting back down to his tea and cookies.

"Mer' Chri'mas, Aizen!" the four men yelled.

* * *

_Loving you's made me whole  
Now I belong  
I found my heart  
Promise me we'll always stay  
The way we are today_

_What kind of world  
Would it be without you  
I couldn't breathe without you here  
What kind of world  
Would I see without you  
I can't dream without you here_

"_Without You" – Christina Aguilera_

_

* * *

_

**AN: Yeah, this chapter is probably so sweet you've got cavities. Seriously, the cotton candy (fluff) is ridiculous. And I made Hisana Byakuya and Rukia's mother. Please don't stone me. And Happy Holidays. Anyone who's read my version of "Twas the Night before Christmas" knows that the day this chapter was published was my birthday! :)  
**


	11. 11: Knock You Down

**AN: I was asked which Aizen I am using. "Sexy, Superman" Aizen, of course. I can't help but make him look like an idiot (especially after Shinji put the "WTF?" look on his face. PRICELESS moment in Bleach history). Expect more Aizen hater-ade (I think he's hot, but that's about as far as my love for him goes. Someone THAT evil shouldn't be THAT good-looking. Damn you, Kubo). 21 reviews last chapter… I love you guys XD**

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**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 11: Knock You Down**

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Orihime numbly placed her cup of milk in the microwave and turned it on. She turned around and leaned against the counter. She immediately got lost in her thoughts. Unconsciously, she brought her right hand to her lips. She touched them almost hesitantly.

_I can't believe I kissed him_, Orihime thought. Then she giggled. _Well, he kissed me, too. Still... It was... so weird_.

She blinked a few times, coming out of her trance. She turned abruptly to see her milk starting to boil in the microwave and spill over the top of the mug. "Crap! Crap! Crap!" she yelled as she hurried to take it out.

After making hot chocolate with what was left of the milk, Orihime received a visit from a somewhat drunk Rangiku and Gin. She let the two in, wondering to herself if they had driven.

"Rangiku, did you two drive?" she asked.

Rangiku shook her head. "Course not! As if that old turd Aizen would let us drive! So, we told Toshiro to take us, but he couldn't see over the steering wheel of the truck. So we had to get Momo to drive." She turned around. "Where are they, anyway?"

Gin had already taken a seat on the sofa and was laying on a pillow. "Said somethin' 'bout comin' back later," he mumbled into the pillow.

Rangiku shrugged and looked at Orihime. "So, how was it at Ulquiorra's?" she asked. She watched Orihime smile and turn beet red. Rangiku's smile widened and she suddenly reminded Orihime of Gin. "You did not!"

Orihime blinked. "I did not what?" she asked.

"You kissed him!" Rangiku said happily.

"How... How... How..."

"It's so obvious! You look so happy it's ridiculous. Something obviously happened. The only thing that's plausible is that you two finally made something happen." Rangiku started looking for something to eat in the kitchen. "So who made the first move? You or him?"

"I suppose it was me. I kissed him first. And then..." Orihime trailed off, looking down at the melting marshmallows in her mug.

"Oh Hime! I'm so proud of you! You've made womanly progress." Rangiku walked over to the sofa, eating gingerbread cookies. She tapped Gin, getting him to sit up. He started to reach for cookies and she smacked his hand. Then she handed him a cookie and looked back at Orihime. "So what's next for you two lovebirds? A date?"

Orihime blinked. She sat down across from Rangiku. "Well, we didn't really discuss any of that..."

"You mean you didn't talk after the little kisses?"

"Ulquiorra isn't very verbal to begin with. I think he prefers comfortable silence," Orihime answered. "That seems to be his comfort zone."

"And what's your comfort zone?" Rangiku asked through a mouthful of cookie.

Orihime shrugged. "I suppose I'm there along with him. If we had immediately talked afterwards, it would've made it even more awkward."

Rangiku sighed. "Talk about taking it slow."

"Slow as molasses," Gin mumbled from Rangiku's lap.

Orihime looked at Gin. "Is he all right?" she asked.

"Who? Gin? Oh, he'll be fine. He just drank too much eggnog and is now reaping the rewards of it. He and Shuuhei decided they wanted to have a contest. Shuuhei is still passed out in the living room." Rangiku thumped Gin on the nose. "Always trying to outdo someone. Everyone knows you're just a lightweight."

"Shuddup..." Gin moaned.

Rangiku shook her head. Then she looked back at Orihime, who was stirring her hot chocolate again. "What are you doing for the New Year?"

Orihime shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it. Ulquiorra's final week is this week. He's supposed to have some more tests and then he's good to go home. Why?"

"Party at Aizen's!" Rangiku squealed. "He doesn't know it yet, though. So, it'll just sorta happen. I swear that man has a rod up his ass. Plus, I think he has some sort of complex. I can't quite place my finger on it, though..."

"It's a god-complex, Ran. I keep tellin' ya that," Gin piped.

"Yeah. Aizen thinks he's God's gift to... the world, I suppose. Wait'll he sees his place on New Year's Eve..." Rangiku noticed Orihime had gone back to stirring her hot chocolate. "So are you going to bring Ulquiorra?" she asked.

Orihime looked up immediately. "Well, uh..."

"It could be your first official date!"

"Well, I don't know..."

"It's going to happen."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Trust me."

* * *

Ulquiorra slammed his notebook shut. He was back at the hospital, the pasty walls back in place and the colorfulness of his home forgotten. He had just finished the homework given to him over the break. He had done it to quell his anxiety. Unfortunately, the anxiety remained.

_What was I thinking? What was __**SHE**__ thinking? Why did we kiss? More importantly, why did it feel... right_? he thought while running a troubled hand through his hair. Ulquiorra was no good at handling emotions and the ones he dealt with he usually dealt with by constant suppression.

Suppression was not working at the moment.

His inner turmoil was interrupted by Yoruichi and Soifon entering. Ulquiorra took notice of the golden rings at the end of Soifon's pigtails, Grimmjow's Christmas gifts to her. Apparently the rings had been a good idea for gifts.

"How are you today, Ulquiorra?" Yoruichi asked. She looked at Ulquiorra's condition. He appeared somewhat disheveled and... confused. "Well, don't you look happy."

Ulquiorra looked away from her and down at his bed. Then he sighed. "Is there something you need, Yoruichi?" he asked.

"Not really. I just came to hand you your discharge papers." Yoruichi handed him a few papers. "You're officially free from our care, Ulquiorra. Isn't that great?" she asked.

Ulquiorra stared down at the papers for a moment. They were stamped and signed for his release. He was free to leave the hospital. He looked up at Yoruichi and Soifon. Soifon's expression had not changed but Yoruichi was beaming at him.

"Thank you," he said.

"Sure. Don't you have someone to go see?"

Ulquiorra blinked, a clueless look upon his face. "Who?"

Before Yoruichi could answer, Orihime stumbled into the room. She appeared out of breath. She noticed that Ulquiorra, Yoruichi, and Soifon were looking at her. Soifon shook her head at the girl's clumsiness. Orihime stood up straight and straightened her clothes out. She entered the room properly, smiling at the older women.

"Um, hi, Yoruichi and Soifon. Those are really nice rings, Soifon," she said.

Soifon blinked. "Thank you," she replied, a little surprised that Orihime had noticed them. "Ulquiorra's received his discharge papers. Perhaps you could help see him off."

Orihime looked from the older woman to Ulquiorra. He had not said anything to her yet. He barely managed to hold her gaze for more than ten seconds before looking away. Orihime nodded to Soifon. Both Yoruichi and Soifon then left the room. Orihime approached Ulquiorra, removing her gloves.

"Hi, Ulquiorra," she said quietly as she stared at the floor.

Ulquiorra looked up at her. "Why do you look like you've done something wrong?"

Orihime raised her head slowly. "Well, you aren't exactly making this conversation easy," she said.

Ulquiorra turned his head to the side in question. "Why wouldn't talking to me be easy? You've never had a problem with it before," he said.

Orihime took a deep breath, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. "Well, with what happened on Christmas night and stuff... I was afraid things would be a little awkward. I've been a little nervous about it," she said.

Ulquiorra stared blankly at her for a moment. Then he looked away from her. "You are being foolish in your assumptions, woman. I feel no anxiety and neither should you," he said. He was lying through his teeth. He did not know if Orihime could tell. From her actions, he figured she could not. She simply sat down.

"Maybe I am just being silly. Still," she finally looked at him, "did it mean anything to you?" she asked.

"Did what mean anything?"

Orihime stared at him. _Does he even remember_?

"Do you know what I'm talking about?" Orihime asked.

"You are referring to what happened after dinner in the doorway to my room. I do remember, woman. My memory is just fine," Ulquiorra said. "Was it supposed to mean anything?" he asked.

Never had he seen her face fall so fast. She looked as though he had taken her heart and ripped it from her chest. For some reason he did not like seeing that look on her face. She looked away before he could say anything, hiding her face behind her hair.

"Um, Rangiku wanted me to invite you to her New Year's party. Since you're being discharged, do you want to come?" she asked, still not looking at him.

Ulquiorra said nothing for the longest, still observing her. "Do you want me to accompany you? I will if that is what you wish," he said.

Orihime opened her eyes. _Accompany me? He's making it seem like it's a da_... She turned her head back to him. Ulquiorra was looking at her with a very bored expression. She sat up straight in her chair, feeling her cheeks redden.

"Do you plan on answering the question, woman?" he asked tiredly.

Orihime nodded quickly. "Yeah! I mean, yes. Yes, I want you to come with me."

Ulquiorra nodded. "Then I will take you."

* * *

"A date?" Tatsuki asked.

"It's not a date," Orihime said as she held two different shirts up to her chest. She was standing in the mirror.

Tatsuki was leaning against her door pane watching her friend fret over what to wear to the party. She had come home to the news that Orihime was going to a party at Rangiku's and Ulquiorra was taking her. Or rather... he was just going along with her.

"Orihime, this is a date. Just admit it," Tatsuki said.

Orihime threw the two shirts back on her bed and picked up two more. She looked back in the mirror. "No, it is not. We're just friends. I think," she said.

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "You think? What's that mean? You either are or you aren't. Pick a team, Orihime," she said. Orihime sighed and looked at Tatsuki. "Something happened while I was gone, didn't it? You two didn't get frisky, did you?"

"No!" Orihime said loudly. "We just... kissed. That's all," she said. It didn't even last that long. Just a few... minutes. Maybe only a minute." Orihime's voice had gradually tapered off into a whisper. Tatsuki approached her. Orihime faced her and smiled weakly. Tatsuki simply smiled sheepishly. "It was just a kiss... or two."

"I can't believe you really did it." Tatsuki crossed her arms. "I'm actually sorta proud of you," she said with a smirk.

Orihime's smile widened. "Really?" Tatsuki nodded and smiled back. Then she noticed Orihime's smile fade. "Well, Ulquiorra is choosing not to really acknowledge it for some reason. When I went to see him he acted like nothing happened."

"Really? What a jerk!" Tatsuki said loudly. "Maybe he's just anxious."

"Anxious? Why would he be anxious? That doesn't make any sense," she said.

Tatsuki sat down on Orihime's bed. "He's shy." She took note of the look Orihime was giving her and laughed. "I know Ulquiorra doesn't seem like the type to get anxious or shy, but he is. He's probably never really had any interaction with a girl before. You're the first. So, he doesn't know how to react."

Orihime nodded slowly. "So, he does like me?"

"I'm positive he does if he kissed you. He's just having a really hard time expressing those feelings."

It was then that Orihime noticed that Tatsuki was dressed in the mirror. She faced her. Tatsuki wore an orange sweater and black pants. She had on black boots as well. "Tatsuki, where are you going? Are you coming to Rangiku's, too?" she asked.

Tatsuki turned pink. She shook her head immediately. "No. I'm, uh, going to a party with Uryuu. His father's hospital is having a party. He was asked to bring a guest, so he asked me," she said quickly.

Orihime crossed her arms. "A date?" she asked.

"It is _**NOT**_ a date," Tatsuki replied.

"Sure it isn't." Orihime went back to looking at different outfits, a small smile on her face.

* * *

Ulquiorra stood outside in the cold. His hands were jammed in his pockets. His green scarf was tied so tightly around his neck he might as well have been hanging himself. His disobedient hair was slightly obscuring his vision, but he did not remove his hands from his coat pockets to adjust it. Instead, he just stood, staring at the door to Orihime's dormitory. He looked up at the name of the building: **KOKORO DORMITORY**. He had no idea why he was so nervous.

_This is ridiculous. I should be able to just go and retrieve the woman to walk to this ludicrous party. Why am I just standing here_? he asked himself. Ulquiorra shook his head and finally grabbed the door. He yanked it open and walked in. When he arrived at Orihime's room, he again had another staring match with the door. He slowly removed his hand from the door.

Then it swung open, revealing Tatsuki. A taller, thin guy with glasses was behind her. Tatsuki's smile wavered for a moment when she realized who it was. She looked Ulquiorra over and then nodded, as if giving her approval. Ulquiorra nodded in return.

"Happy New Year," Tatsuki said. She made her way past Ulquiorra. Her date followed her, leaving the door open for Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra pushed it open and entered slowly. He was not surprised to see that Orihime's dorm was quite different from his. Where the dorm he shared with Grimmjow was always relatively clean (thanks mostly impart to him), Orihime's dorm looked very... lived-in. It was also very, very feminine. There were a lot of pictures of her friends around. Orihime seemed happy enough in them; she was always somewhere in the middle of her circle of friends.

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime shrieked as she came out of her room and saw him standing in the middle of the living area. He turned his head and looked at her. For a moment, he did not recognize her. "You're here so early."

Ulquiorra had never seen Orihime with her hair up before. It was odd to see it now. However, she looked so elegant. The color of her eyes was even more prevalent now that he could see them clearly. Ulquiorra's eyes traveled from her face to the black cowl neck sweater dress she wore. She had on black leggings along with gray boots.

"We're supposed to be walking," Ulquiorra said, drawing his eyes elsewhere. He did not want to be caught staring at her. "You look... personable," he said. His voice almost cracked. Then he realized what word he said and mentally face-palmed. He immediately looked at Orihime for her reaction. She looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Personable? Ulquiorra, I bet you can do better than that," she said.

Ulquiorra cleared his throat and straightened up. "You look... fine," he stated.

Orihime nodded. "I guess that'll do." She turned on her heel. "Wait right here. I'm going to get my coat and then we can leave for Aizen's. His place isn't too far from here," she said.

Ulquiorra nodded and watched her retreat. She returned a few moments later wearing a wool white coat that was buttoned up all the way. She nodded at Ulquiorra. He turned and walked towards the door, Orihime following closely behind.

* * *

As they walked down the street towards Aizen's, Ulquiorra noticed Orihime walking on the outside. He immediately moved her around to the inside. She smiled and looped her arm around his.

"You're still worried I might wander off the edge of the sidewalk again?" she asked.

"I wouldn't put it past you. You aren't exactly the most coordinated person I know. Nor are you the most graceful. You wandering off the edge of the sidewalk is exactly how I would describe what would happen," Ulquiorra replied dryly.

Orihime giggled. "You're calling me clumsy? That's a little harsh, Ulquiorra."

"Woman, the cycle would just begin again. I would end up in the hospital again with the attempt to save you from your own failure," he said.

"About half of that statement was sweet. The other half was sorta condescending," Orihime mumbled.

Ulquiorra glanced over at her. "It was not my intention to offend you... but that's the way it is."

Orihime only smiled at his frankness. _There's not much else I can expect from Ulquiorra, is there? He'll always be candid like this_, she thought.

"Define fail, Ulquiorra," she said.

Ulquiorra thought for a moment. "Either an interjection used when one disapproves of something, or a verb meaning approximately the same thing as the slang form of suck," he responded in an extremely flat, yet serious tone.

Orihime blinked and turned her head to look at him. He had gone back to looking directly ahead of him. She realized that his answer was intended to be a joke. She smiled and started giggling. Then she started laughing outright. She missed Ulquiorra look over at her and smirk.

* * *

When they arrived at Aizen's, the front of the shop was dark. Orihime looked around. She unconsciously took Ulquiorra's hand. He looked down at their contact for a moment before following her. She led him to the back of the tea shop. Lights were coming from behind a door. They could also faintly hear music. Orihime looked at Ulquiorra and then knocked on the door. It swung open almost immediately. A lazy-eyed blond stood there. He held out a hand for their coats. Both Ulquiorra and Orihime removed them and handed them to the blond.

"Uh, hi. Is Rangiku here?" Orihime asked.

"Yeah. Over by the drinks," he said.

"Thanks." Orihime pulled Ulquiorra along inside.

There was definitely a party going on inside. Orihime could barely see through all the people as she tried to find the drinks table. She squeezed Ulquiorra's hand to make sure she did not lose him. Instead of holding on, she ended up letting go. Orihime turned and groped into the crowd, searching for him. She jumped when she felt an arm slip around her waist.

"I'm still here. Calm down, woman," Ulquiorra said in her ear.

Orihime turned her head and looked up at him. She could still somehow see his eyes in the darkness. She nodded slowly and they kept walking, Ulquiorra keeping his arm around her. They made it to the drinks table where Rangiku was handing out drinks with a smile. She waved happily at Orihime as she approached.

"Glad you could make it, Orihime!" She looked at Ulquiorra. "You too, Ulquiorra. Orihime told me you were recently discharged from the hospital. A free man once again, eh?" she said. Ulquiorra simply nodded. Rangiku took note of their proximity and smiled. "Ulquiorra, why don't you go fix you and Orihime something to eat? The food table is just down there where Gin is."

Ulquiorra knew she was trying to get rid of him in order to talk to Orihime alone. Did she think he was an idiot? He released Orihime slowly and looked at her. She nodded her affirmation. With one more glance at Rangiku, he headed for the food table.

Then Rangiku pounced. "He's protective, isn't he?" she asked.

"A little, but he isn't overbearing. It more or less goes both ways, too. I'm just as protective of him," Orihime replied.

Rangiku nodded, studying Orihime's face. Then she snapped. "I know that look."

"What look?"

"You're in love."

"Love?" Orihime raised an eyebrow. Rangiku simply nodded and Orihime shook her head. "I can't be. Ulquiorra doesn't like me like that. He doesn't seem to want to even want to acknowledge that we kissed. Tatsuki says it's because he's shy."

"He is, you dolt! Look at him!" Rangiku turned Orihime so that she was looking at Ulquiorra. "Does that look like someone who knows what love is?" she asked.

"Well..." Orihime began. Ulquiorra was carefully examining each of the finger foods as if he was grading them separately. He picked the best ones out of the bunch and placed them in neat rows on the plate he held. He was like a machine.

"Ulquiorra wouldn't know love if it socked him in the face and knocked him on his back. He's clueless. He must figure it out on his own. He kissed you back, didn't he?" Rangiku asked.

Orihime looked back at her and nodded. "Yes."

"Then he is definitely interested. He just doesn't know how exactly to deal with everything. It's like a system overload for his fragile little mind. He will come around. Just give him a little time and don't worry. Don't rush it," Rangiku said as Ulquiorra walked back over to them. He presented Orihime with the plate of food, arranged in neat little rows.

"Thank you, Ulquiorra," she said as she took the plate from him.

Ulquiorra's hands returned to his pockets. "It was no problem." He looked at Rangiku, who just waved at him.

"You kids play nice," she said as they walked away from the table. She stood up straight as Gin came over to her. "I should start charging for my advice."

Gin chuckled. "Yer advice is that good, Ran?" he asked.

Rangiku looked at him. "Don't you think so? I'm like the matchmaker from heaven."

"More like the matchmaker from hell..." Toshiro mumbled as he walked by.

Rangiku narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. She looked back at Gin, softening her face. "What about it Gin? Should I charge for my therapy sessions?"

"Ya should. Yer givin' out valuable advi... Hiya, Aizen," Gin said suddenly.

Rangiku whirled around to see her boss standing there. She smiled nervously. "Mr. Aizen! What a surprise!"

Aizen simply smiled at her, his calm expression not wavering. In his eyes, Rangiku and Gin could see the rage reflected in them. "Good evening, Miss Matsumoto. It's nice to see that you have taken the liberty of throwing such a lovely party."

Rangiku shrugged. "Well you know me; ever the party girl."

"Yes. I know." Aizen picked up of the mysterious concoction Rangiku had brewed. "Now explain to me why I shouldn't throw every last one of you out on the street."

"'Cause it's New Year's Eve?" Gin tried. Aizen glared at him.

* * *

Orihime finished off her food and threw her plate away. Then she tasted her drink. She immediately recoiled at the taste of it. Ulquiorra seemingly had no problem drinking it. She tried it again and found that the second sip was not as bad as the first had been. In fact, it was quite delightful. It appeared that her tongue had gone slightly numb.

"What is this stuff? It's delightful," Orihime said, taking another big gulp.

Noticing her tone of voice, Ulquiorra looked at Orihime. She was simply chugging her drink. Ulquiorra stared at her. She slammed her cup down on the table they sat at. Then she looked up at him.

"What?" she asked.

"I believe this is some sort of alcoholic drink. Maybe you shouldn't have any..." But Orihime was already gone back to the drinks table. She returned a few moments later with another cup and was already sipping on it. "Are you thirsty, woman? Perhaps you should drink water."

"I'll be fine," Orihime mumbled.

Ulquiorra nodded. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box. He sat it down on the table. Orihime looked up from her drink. "I didn't get a chance to give this to you on Christmas," he said.

Orihime opened the box. A pair of pearl earrings were inside. She smiled brightly and looked up at him. Then she threw her arms around him. Ulquiorra's eyes widened as she engulfed him in the hug. Besides the fact that she was crushing him against her well-endowed chest, she was also cutting off his air.

"Oh thank you, Ulquiorra! They're beautiful!" Orihime released him. She noticed how disheveled he appeared and giggled softly. "I'm sorry. Did I hug you too tight?"

"I'll survive." Ulquiorra did not get to say anything else. Rangiku came over and grabbed their hands. She pulled them both to their feet and out towards the group of people on the floor.

"You two are not going to sit here all night. Come on!" she said loudly.

* * *

After several rounds of drinking games, dancing, and more drinking games courtesy of Rangiku, Ulquiorra found himself engaged in something that actually required his brain. He was playing shogi... against Gin. Everyone knew the only person Gin was unable to defeat was Aizen. So that Ulquiorra had challenged Gin was a feat in and of itself; even if Gin was slightly intoxicated.

Orihime just watched them from a distance. It was two minutes until midnight. Rangiku came and sat down next to her. She looked appreciatively at Gin. Orihime noticed her expression of pure contentment and smiled as well.

"You're happy with Gin, Rangiku?" she asked.

Rangiku nodded. "Of course. He's troublesome at times, but in the end he makes up for it."

"How did you know you wanted Gin? That you were for each other?" Orihime asked.

Rangiku's eyebrows furrowed. She leaned forward and looked hard at Gin and Ulquiorra as they were engaged in their game. Then she smiled. "Sometimes you just know. Like I alluded to with Ulquiorra earlier: sometimes it just hits you and knocks you on your back. You don't even know what happened. I mean I never thought my dream guy would be a skinny, silver-haired, ruby-eyed immature man who has a grin permanently plastered on his face. But that's what I got," she said.

"What is it that you see in him?" Orihime asked.

"Honestly?" Rangiku smirked. "He makes me laugh." She checked her watch. "Fifteen seconds, everyone!"

* * *

Ulquiorra moved his final piece just as Rangiku spoke. "I win," he said.

Gin examined the board. He had never lost to anyone except Aizen. Even then, the older man rarely beat him. He looked up at Ulquiorra. The college student portrayed not a single emotion on his face. Gin smiled at him.

"Ya beat me fair an' square. Good game, I must say," he said. He looked at Rangiku as she made her way over to them, counting down loudly.

"... _**SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE... HAPPY NEW YEAR**_!!"

Orihime walked over to Ulquiorra. "Happy New Year, Ulquiorra." She took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

Ulquiorra looked down at her. Once again, they were extremely close. For a moment, Ulquiorra forgot what he was going to say. "Happy New Year, woman."

Orihime giggled. "You never fail to call me that," she said.

"_**DRINKS**_!" Rangiku began passing around more drinks to her guests; including Aizen. "Okay. Let us toast together. May this year be as prosperous as the last; except for the walking-out-in-the-middle-of-streets-without-looking part." That earned a nervous laugh from Orihime and a glare from Ulquiorra. "Cheers!" Rangiku raised her glass.

"_**CHEERS**_!"

* * *

At her door that night, Orihime fumbled for her keys. She blinked several times as she missed the keyhole. A hand closed over hers and she jumped. Then she realized that it was just Ulquiorra. He guided her hand in the keyhole and turned the key.

"Sorry. I'm just tired..."

"And drunk," Ulquiorra observed her pink face.

"Only a little. I think it might've been those last glasses of wine." Orihime turned the door, but did not enter. She faced Ulquiorra again. "Thanks for coming with me tonight. I guess now we'll be seeing each other at class."

"Yes." Ulquiorra shuffled his feet almost nervously. He was starting to get that anxious feeling he had been getting lately. He noticed her step up closer to him. He did not move away from her. He just watched her get closer and closer and did nothing at all. Their noses were almost touching.

"Good night, Orihime," Ulquiorra said. He stepped away from her and hurried down the hall, not waiting for her to respond.

Orihime watched him go. She sighed. "Good night, Ulquiorra..."

* * *

_Sometimes love comes around (love comes around, love comes around)  
and it knocks you down  
just get back up  
when it knocks you down (knocks you down)  
Sometimes love comes around  
and it knocks you down  
just get back up  
when it knocks you down (knocks you down)_

"_Knock You Down" – Keri Hilson ft. Ne-Yo and Kanye West_


	12. 12: Close My Eyes

**AN: **Dodges bullets, tomatoes, lettuce, and other random airborne objects** Been going through major "Bleach manga depression." Sorry for the delay, folks. Blame it on Kubo. **squeezes fists together** (damn you Aizen) And another thing... I was recently informed by a fellow nominee that "Simply Deep" has also been nominated for a UFO Award. That's the Universal Fanfiction Open for all who don't know. Who nominated me? Thank you so much. **cries with joy**Now if only I could figure out how to ACCEPT the nomination...  
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**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 12: Close My Eyes**

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Ulquiorra cursed his ability to always be first in class. Usually, he did not mind because no one ever noticed him in the first place. He had the uncanny ability to meld into the background regardless of his appearance. However, he felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb.

_Why? Why am I trying to avoid her? I don't have a reason to_, he thought as he watched his fellow students file in the class.

It was true. Ulquiorra had not seen or talked to Orihime since he left her standing at her door after the party. He had avoided places where he knew she would be. So, he kept away from her at all costs and he had no idea why. It did not make sense. Orihime had not done anything wrong. He was not mad at her.

Ulquiorra shook his head. "This is nonsense," he muttered.

"What's nonsense?" a sweet voice said from behind him.

Ulquiorra stiffened. He turned his head. Orihime came down the steps from behind him. She smiled and looked at him. Where Ulquiorra would have expected her to be somewhat angry with him, she looked as though she was simply happy to see him. She waved at him and kept moving down the stairs.

"You shouldn't talk to yourself. People might think you've gone crazy." She giggled a bit. "Then you'll be hauled off to a different type of hospital." She kept walking down towards a different row of seats in the lecture hall.

Somehow, Ulquiorra had been expecting a tantrum of some sort from her. Instead, he just watched her sit about four rows below him among some friends. One had black hair and another had brownish-red hair and glasses. The one in glasses seemed to be very attached to Orihime; attached in a... curious way. As usual, Orihime sat in the middle.

* * *

"Hime, who was he?" Chizuru Honsho asked. "He was looking at you in a dreamy way."

Orihime blinked and looked at Chizuru as she leaned in curiously. "Dreamy? His name is Ulquiorra Cifer. He's the one who saved me from getting hit by the car," she answered.

"So he's the one that you threw in front of a car?" Ryo Kunieda asked without looking up from her book.

Orihime blushed. "I didn't _**THROW**_ him in front of the car."

"Right." Ryo finally looked at her. "So, he's taken Ichigo's place in your heart? It's about time you finally got over him," she said to a gaping Orihime.

"What?" Chizuru glared at Ryo. "Hime likes Ichigo?"

"Where've you been the past four years, Chizuru? Oh, I know; trying to get Orihime to come to the dark side. Don't let me tell Tatsuki how you're trying to feel her up," Ryo said.

Chizuru shot Ryo a nasty look. Then she snuck a peek at Ulquiorra as discreetly as possible. "He's scary-looking," she said.

Ryo sighed. "Chizuru, you think _**ALL**_ men are scary-looking."

"Can we please stop talking about Ulquiorra? The professor is coming in," Orihime said quickly, trying desperately to change the subject.

It worked. At that moment, a blond man in a green and white hat strolled in. He was carrying about five large books under one arm. He slammed them down on his desk and placed his hat on top of them. Then he looked out over the class, a smile on his face. He seemed relatively young to be a college professor and in no way did he look intelligent. However, looks were one thing that were known to be quite deceiving.

"Gooood morning, class. I'm Kisuke Urahara. I will be your genetics teacher for the second half of this course. I really hope you are ready to work..."

* * *

Ulquiorra visibly cringed. The man sound so incredibly happy; almost too happy for the hour of the morning. He did not ramble for long, though. After the general introduction to the class, Urahara immediately began teaching. For the first time in all his years of schooling, Ulquiorra found it hard to concentrate. His eyes kept drifting from the chalkboard at the bottom of the lecture hall over to Orihime. After about thirty seconds of staring, he would immediately be zapped back into the lecture.

He sighed. _It's going to be a long three hours_, he thought.

* * *

The class ended with Urahara assigning four chapters' worth of homework due at the end of the month. Chizuru did not seem to like this very much and let it be known with a very loud, audible sigh. She managed to catch the eye of Urahara. She sunk low in her chair, but Urahara only smiled at her.

"I'm glad you like my choice of coursework, Miss..."

"Uh, Honsho. Chizuru Honsho," Chizuru mumbled, this time barely audible. Urahara heard her, though.

"Well, Miss Honsho, I expect to have your work first at the end of the month. Isn't that right?" he asked, the smile still plastered on his face.

"Uh, yeah," Chizuru said.

Urahara nodded and looked away. "Dismissed, class."

* * *

Ulquiorra tried to bolt for the door. His efforts were diminished by his classmates who obviously had to leave faster than he did. He managed to avoid being trampled up the stairs. However, the tiny voice of Orihime managed to catch him before he could go through the door.

"Ulquiorra!" she called over their classmates. She saw the head of jet black hair pause and turn. Smiling to herself, she pushed her way through the crowd and made it to the door. Ulquiorra was leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his bag. "Where are you rushing off to?"

Ulquiorra cleared his throat. He looked at Orihime's two friends as they caught up with her. "Hello," he said.

Orihime laughed. "What? No 'woman?' I was getting used to that." She straightened up. "Do you want to eat lunch with us?" she asked.

Ulquiorra swallowed. "I... can't. I have to study. We were just assi..."

Orihime shook her head and grabbed his hand. "Nonsense, Ulquiorra. It's only the first day back. You don't have to hit the books _**IMMEDIATELY**_. Come eat with me, Chizuru, and Ryo. I'm pretty sure the others will be there as well."

"Others?" Ulquiorra had no choice but to be dragged along by Orihime out of the lecture hall. The redhead in the glasses shot him a nasty look as they left the hall. Once they were out of the building and heading towards the student center, Orihime pulled him closer and intertwined their arms. Ulquiorra looked down at her proximity, but said nothing.

"So your name's Ulquiorra? That's a strange name," Chizuru said.

"Chizuru!" Orihime said, looking over at her friend.

Chizuru shrugged. "Well, it is. How many people do you know with the name Ulquiorra? It's a name I'm not accustomed to hearing." She looked closely at Ulquiorra's face. "He looks more like a 'Daisuke,' don't you think?"

"How does someone look like a name, Chizuru?" Ryo asked.

"Well, Orihime looks like a princess, hence her name." Chizuru moved behind Orihime and wrapped her arms around her. "Isn't that right, Hime? Aren't you a pretty princess?"

Orihime laughed nervously. "Well, uh..."

Suddenly, Chizuru was gone from Orihime's back in a gust of wind. Orihime blinked. She looked at Ulquiorra, who appeared just as shocked as she did. They both looked to the left and saw Tatsuki dusting off her hands.

"And don't let me catch you touching her anymore!" Tatsuki yelled.

Chizuru turned her head, straightening her glasses. "You're _**EVIL**_, Tatsuki Arisawa! You'll never be able to keep me and Hime away from each other. It's meant to be!" Chizuru yelled. Tatsuki made to come after her again and Chizuru turned and ran off, Ryo following after her.

Tatsuki shook her head and looked at Orihime. "You okay?" she asked.

Orihime nodded with a smile. "Fine. Chizuru is harmless, Tatsuki. You don't have to beat her up all the time."

"Sure I do. She's a menace." Tatsuki looked around Orihime and noticed Ulquiorra standing there. He was looking off in another direction, bundled up to his chin in a plaid green and black scarf and black jacket. Somehow, it seemed funny how he matched Orihime's green pea coat and black leggings. "Hi, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra turned his head to look at Tatsuki. She was looking at him expectantly; like she expected him to greet her back. He stole a glance at Orihime. She also seemed to want him to interact with her friend. Inwardly sighing he inclined his head slightly.

Tatsuki shook her head. _A man of many words_, she thought.

"So where are you headed, Tatsuki?" Orihime asked.

"I was going to get some food. I'm pretty sure the others are already in there." Tatsuki looked at Ulquiorra. "Join us?"

Ulquiorra felt Orihime tug at his arm lightly. Before he had time to respond to Tatsuki, he found himself being pulled off towards the student center again, this time arm in arm with Orihime.

* * *

Rukia was the first to notice Orihime approaching with Tatsuki. As they grew closer, she noticed Orihime was tugging on someone else. Her eyes grew a little wider when she noticed a relatively dull-looking Ulquiorra on Orihime's arm.

"Hey, guys!" Orihime said happily as the three made it to the table. "Ulquiorra's going to eat with us today. Is that fine?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Why would it bother us? Pull up a chair," he said.

Orihime smiled. She watched Ulquiorra move painstakingly slow to move chairs for both of them over to the table. Once the two sat, she looked around the table while Ulquiorra seemed to look everywhere but her friends. Orihime glanced around.

"What are you looking for, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked.

"I thought Chizuru and Ryo were eating with us, too," she said.

Rukia laughed. "Has Tatsuki dished out her daily ass-beating? If so, I wouldn't count on seeing Chizuru for a while. As for Ryo, you know she's probably trying to keep Chizuru in line." She looked over at them. "So who was your first professor?"

Orihime nudged Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra snapped his head towards her. She nodded towards Rukia. Ulquiorra's eyebrows furrowed. _Obviously, she wants me to answer her friend_, he thought. He looked at Rukia.

"Someone named Urahara," Ulquiorra said. Then he blinked. "Now that you think about it, I believe he is Yoruichi's mate..." he mumbled to himself.

"Yoruichi's mate?" Orihime asked with a laugh. "You say it as if they're carnivorous beasts that live in the wild."

"You guys know Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime nodded. "She's one of Ulquiorra's physical therapists along with Soifon. Soifon's Grimmjow's... Well, I don't know what you'd call them exactly. But he seems to really, really like her," she said.

Rukia nodded. "Small world. They were all at Grandfather's for Christmas."

"Yep. Seems like everyone is connected in some way," Tatsuki said.

"What do they call it? Six degrees of separation?" Rukia asked.

"More like 'Six Degrees of Orihime.' Seems like everyone can be traced back to Orihime in some form or fashion," Ichigo said.

Everyone seemed to dwell on that for a moment in silence. Then Uryuu was the one who spoke. "For once, Kurosaki makes a valid point," he said.

Thus began a long game of "Six Degrees of Orihime," leaving its namesake out of course. Orihime herself just sat back and watched as the others connected other people, some of which she had never even heard of, with herself. She found it odd how it could be done.

"Does it always go like this?" Ulquiorra said in her ear, startling her.

Orihime jumped a bit and looked at him. She simply smiled and shrugged. "This is normal. I don't think about it too much, though. It doesn't matter," she said.

Ulquiorra stared blankly at her. "Your smile is false." He took her hand. "Let's go," he said.

Orihime looked down at their hands. Ulquiorra stood up and pulled her along. She looked back once at her friends before just making her way out of the student center with Ulquiorra. She was curious about his actions. Only a few minutes before he was hesitant to even look at her. Now he was pulling her.

"Where are we going, Ulquiorra?" she asked.

He did not answer her. He ignored her queries and she eventually stopped asking questions. Orihime soon found herself going up flights of stairs in school's auditorium. Using context clues, she could only conclude that he was taking her to some special place he went to regularly. When Ulquiorra finally came to what appeared to be the final floor, they entered a dusty room with furniture that was covered in sheets.

"Wasn't expecting that..." she murmured to herself. She opened her eyes a little wider, noticing that Ulquiorra had released her. "What are we doing up here?" she asked.

Ulquiorra walked a little ways from her, towards a covered piece of furniture. He uncovered it, throwing dust everywhere and revealing a piano. He heard Orihime cough and start to make her way over to him. Heaving a sigh, he did not look at her. "Why do you let yourself be continuously shoved around by your friends? I thought it was silly to hear about, but to actually witness it makes it even more pathetic," he said as he took a seat on the bench.

Orihime blinked and stopped moving. "They weren't... I don't think they were pushing me around. At least not today," she said.

"You are simultaneously the center of attention, but left out of the loop. Explain how that is possible. For friends as protective as they are, they sure know how to treat you when you are actually around," Ulquiorra said, stretching his fingers and looking over the keys.

Orihime crossed her arms and looked away from him. "Whatever, Ulquiorra. Did you just come up here to berate me about that?" She glared back at him, placing a hand on top of the piano.

"Why don't you talk to them like you speak to me?" He started playing. "With such force and spirit. You instead sound so weak-willed and feeble; like a used doormat." Ulquiorra looked up at her, still playing.

Orihime had nothing to say. She bit her lip and turned her eyes away from his, unable to stand his piercing glare any longer. She turned away from him. Then it registered what he was playing. Her eyes widened and her body went a bit stiff.

Ulquiorra noticed Orihime's change in posture. She was no longer looking quite as angry as before. In place of her irritation at him was... sadness. He looked down at the hand that rested on top of the piano. She was unconsciously dragging her nails across the top of it. He almost jumped when she spoke.

"I didn't know you knew how to play the piano," she whispered.

Ulquiorra looked back up at her face. Her eyes were glassy with tears. "Woman, you're..." He made to stop.

"Don't stop," she said quickly. Ulquiorra stared at her for a moment, but continued playing as per her wishes.

Orihime listened to the song Ulquiorra played. It was a song she always thought sounded so sad and lonely. It was also a song that she would only associate with one thing: death. She had no idea why she wanted Ulquiorra to keep playing it. It was like opening a wound to listen to it. But when Ulquiorra played it, it felt less like torture. She had not even realized he was playing it until it had grown quiet between them. Normally she could hear the song through even the loudest of noises.

Ulquiorra chanced a glance up at Orihime. She had blinked a few times and the tears in her eyes had spilled over. He did not stop playing, though. She had asked him to continue playing and play he would. When the song concluded, he stood up and stepped closer to Orihime. She was still staring directly ahead of her. She barely noticed him touching her face. He turned her face to look at him and she brought him into focus.

"What is it?" he asked.

Orihime blinked a few times, shaking her head. She wiped her face furiously. "What do you mean?"

"You grew stiff and then you cried when you realized what I was playing. I take it the song held some sentimental value." Ulquiorra watched as she tried to calm herself. "What is it?"

Orihime shook her head. "That song..." She closed her eyes and held her head down. "It was the song that was playing when the police came and told me about my brother. Ever since then I've always associated it with his death."

A long pause passed between them as Ulquiorra soaked in this new information. _Why did she want me to continue if it hurt her so much to hear it_? he thought to himself.

Orihime looked up, her face rosy and a smile adorning it. "But you play it magnificently. I didn't feel as sad as I did when you played it. Normally I usually break down into uncontrollable tears and simply don't know what to do with myself afterwards. But look at me! I'm completely fine."

Ulquiorra stared at her. "Sure, woman." He picked up his bag, slung it around his shoulder, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Let's go." He turned towards the door. Orihime picked up her things and followed him out.

Tatsuki crossed her arms as she stood in the middle of the main courtyard. _I can't believe she just ditched us like that! And with Mr. Gloom and Doom too! What is that about_? she thought angrily. She turned around as she heard the auditorium doors opening. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Ulquiorra and Orihime exiting. Tatsuki began approaching the unsuspecting couple. She squinted and noticed that Orihime's face was a bit red. _She's been crying_...

"Orihime, have you been crying?" she asked as she stopped right in front of them.

Orihime gasped as Tatsuki was almost suddenly in front of her. She blinked a few times before smiling. "Not... really. I just remembered something that brought me to tears. It's nothing ser..."

Tatsuki was already on Ulquiorra's case. "What did you do to her, jerk? You've been making her cry?"

"He didn't, Ta..."

Ulquiorra put a hand up, silencing Orihime. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, woman. I can assert myself just fine." He gave Orihime a stern eye. Orihime narrowed her own gray eyes at him, catching the intentional potshot at her. He looked away from Orihime and back at Tatsuki. "I played a song on a piano that gave the woman sad feelings. It was not my intention to make her cry, but she did. She is fine now."

Tatsuki crossed her arms. She glanced over at Orihime. Her friend wore a dejected look on her face. Tatsuki glared back at Ulquiorra. "Well, she doesn't look happy right now. Are you sure you didn't make her sad?"

"Are you sure I'm the one who's making her sad?" Ulquiorra asked.

Tatsuki's eyes widened. Orihime sighed and stormed off. Ulquiorra and Tatsuki stood and watched her go, stunned for a moment that the redhead had just taken off. Then Tatsuki rounded on Ulquiorra, glaring daggers at him. Too angry to say anything, she shook her fist at him and went after Orihime, calling her name.

Ulquiorra sighed and pull his bag closer to him. He set off in the opposite direction. _Silly women and their emotions. I'm definitely not cut out for that_.

* * *

The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping. Orihime knew she needed to go inside or she would catch her death of a cold. But she just did not feel like moving. The day had not been particularly long; just relatively stressful. She glanced up at the sky. The moon was full and shining down at her.

_Well, that's one thing that never changes. I can always count on the moon to be there for me when I'm alone_, she thought with a small smile.

"Why are you out here alone, woman? You'll get sick."

Orihime nearly fell off the swing she sat on and into the snow behind her. She turned and looked behind her. Ulquiorra was standing there, hands in his pockets and scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. He looked as though he had just finished working. She squinted in the darkness at him.

"Why are you out here?" she asked him.

"Do not return my question with a question. I asked first," Ulquiorra countered.

Orihime bit her lip. She turned her head away from him and looked back up at the sky. "I was just looking at the moon."

"Can't you do that at a place where it isn't below freezing?"

"Why are you so concerned with whether I'm warm or not, Ulquiorra?" Orihime turned to look at him. She nearly fell forward when she realized that he was directly behind her. She had not even heard him move in the snow. "How do you move so quietly?" she whispered.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "I have no desire to see you end up in the hospital due to pneumonia or some sickness of the like. You're practically begging for it by sitting out here in the cold doing nothing. There is no possible way for you to enjoy the moonlight in your dorm?"

Orihime leaned back against him and sighed. "No," she said. "I'm fine right where I am."

Ulquiorra sighed inwardly at her stubbornness. Still, he removed his right hand from his pocket and took her hand. Orihime's eyes widened as he pulled her to her feet. "You're freezing," he said. He pulled her into an embrace almost without thinking. "You're such a foolish woman, Orihime."

Orihime frowned, looking up at him. "Hey! I am not..." She blinked a few times. "You called me by my name," she whispered.

Ulquiorra stared down at her. He belatedly realized that he had. "It wouldn't have sounded right and would've been redundant if I had said 'woman' twice," he rationalized.

Orihime smiled and shook her head. "Must you always have a logical explanation for everything, Ulquiorra? That takes the fun out of unexplained," she said. She looked back up at the moon as he held her. "It really is pretty. Don't you agree?"

Ulquiorra was not looking at the moon. "I can think of something that's more beautiful." He watched Orihime look back down at him. "You, for instance."

She must have blushed bright enough for even him to see in the darkness. That or she instantly grew hot. When she looked back down at him, he was giving her a strange look. "You can't keep saying nice things like that, Ulquiorra. I don't have any good comebacks for stuff like that," Orihime said nervously while trying to laugh off her blush.

"Why? I'm not being 'nice.' I'm just stating obvious facts." He touched her cheek. "It would appear as though you've reached an acceptable body temp..."

Orihime kissed his cheek, hushing him. Ulquiorra watched as she pulled away from him. She smiled and straightened her jacket and scarf on her. "I should head back to the dorm now. You should, too. Back to your dorm, I mean," she said.

Ulquiorra stared at her blankly. He managed to nod. Orihime waved at him before turning to walk away. Ulquiorra watched her go to the gate of the playground before setting himself into motion. He caught up with her and grabbed her arm. Orihime turned around, looking like she was going to fight him. Her face softened when she realized that it was just Ulquiorra.

"You move to quietly!" she said loudly.

"I apologize. I wanted to tell you, uh..."

Orihime squinted. Ulquiorra Cifer did not stutter in his speech. Something was amiss. "Tell me what?"

"I wanted to say good night," he kissed her and pulled away, "Orihime." He turned and walked away from her.

Orihime stood there under the streetlamp, dumbstruck. She shook her head. "See you at school tomorrow," she mumbled before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

_Funny how one can learn  
To grow numb to the madness  
And block it away  
I left the worst unsaid  
Let it all dissipate  
And I try to forget_

_As I close my eyes  
Steady my feet on the ground  
Raise my head to the sky  
And let time roll by  
Still I feel like a child  
As I look at the moon  
Maybe I grew up a little too soon_

"_Close My Eyes" – Mariah Carey_

_(and the song Ulquiorra was playing was "Moonlight Sonata." Absolutely dreary song if you play it slow enough)_


	13. 13: The One That Got Away

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 13: The One That Got Away**

**

* * *

**

Ulquiorra stared at the cell phone. _You can do this. Just dial the number. It isn't that complicated. Punch in the numbers_, he told himself.

Grimmjow sauntered past, scratching the back of his head. He noticed Ulquiorra sitting on the sofa in the living area. The raven-haired student was simply staring at his cell phone, his right hand's thumb hovering over the touch screen. Grimmjow shook his head and walked over towards his roommate. He snatched the phone from Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra glared up at Grimmjow. "Give it back, Grimmjow," he said sternly. He tried to reach for it, but Grimmjow held it out of reach. "Grimmjow..."

Grimmjow was no longer paying attention to Ulquiorra. He instead had his ear to the phone, listening as it rang. He heard a giddy female's voice on the other end and smirked, looking sneakily at Ulquiorra. "Hey, chick... Yeah, it's Grimmjow... I'm just using Ulquiorra's phone for a second. He'll be along in a moment... Oh, what do you know! Here he is now..." Grimmjow tossed Ulquiorra the phone.

Ulquiorra glared daggers at the back of Grimmjow's head as he walked off towards the kitchen. Then he immediately put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Orihime blinked on her end. Ulquiorra sounded significantly different on the phone. He still used the same dry monotone, but over the phone it sounded so much... _sexier_, she thought. She had to clamp her hand over her mouth to keep the giggle from escaping. _Where did that come from? I don't think of Ulquiorra as "sexy." Words like that only apply to... Grimmjow. Ulquiorra's... handsome_.

"Hello?" Ulquiorra said again.

"Oh! Uh, hello, Ulquiorra. Why did Grimmjow call me first? Isn't this your phone?" Orihime asked, trying to get the focus off her blunder.

Ulquiorra winced inwardly. He needed an excuse. "I told him to call while I... took out the trash," he said quickly. He sighed, knowing the excuse was pathetic and lame. He heard Grimmjow in the background chuckling at it and ground his teeth together.

Orihime stared blankly at the wall in her room. Was he serious? "Oh. Well, um, that's understandable. What did you want? I was just starting on Professor Urahara's work. Did you want to study together or something?" she asked.

"No. I actually wanted to see if you wanted to..." Ulquiorra turned and looked at Grimmjow. The blue-haired athlete was making signals wildly with his arms. Ulquiorra squinted, trying to make sense of them. "I wanted to see if you wanted to go with me to watch Grimmjow's kendo match."

Grimmjow fell on the floor, cackling loudly. He shook his head in disbelief. He looked up at Ulquiorra and made a signal on his forehead: "L." Ulquiorra mouthed something very vulgar to him in return.

"I'm telling Tia," Grimmjow said as he stood, still snickering.

Ulquiorra shrugged. "Do you want to?" he asked into the phone.

Orihime was beaming at her wall. He was asking her out in his own impromptu way. She was almost certain that someone was probably coaching him through it. "Sure. When and where?"

"It's tomorrow at four. I'll pick you up... Dress warmly... Okay... Bye." Ulquiorra hung up. Then he rounded on Grimmjow. "I hate you," he stated calmly.

"Oh, Ulqui. I'm hurt." Grimmjow came out of the kitchen area with four sandwiches. He passed Ulquiorra two. "But you are taking her to a smelly kendo match for a first date? Dude, that's weak."

"I believe it's the thought that counts. And that's not all we're doing. Besides, aren't you always complaining that I don't go see your extracurricular activities enough?"

"I doubt she wants to watch me and Kurosaki destroy the other team," Grimmjow said through a mouth full of food.

Ulquiorra swallowed roughly. He looked at Grimmjow. "Kurosaki's on your kendo team? Since when?"

"Since, uh, forever. That's exactly why you should come more often. I'm sure Nel could name the entire team. Then again, I'm sure Nel could kick the team's asses single-handedly and barehanded," Grimmjow said with a laugh. He noticed the grim look on Ulquiorra's face. "Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing at all."

* * *

Orihime twirled out of her bedroom and into the living area. Rukia was flipping through channels. Tatsuki was sitting next to her. They both looked at her as she danced towards them.

"What's gotten into you?" Rukia asked.

Orihime twirled some more. "I have a date tomorrow," she said happily.

Tatsuki and Rukia exchanged bewildered glances before looking back at Orihime. "With who?" they asked in unison.

"Ulquiorrrra," Orihime answered, rolling her tongue. "I never noticed how much I like saying his name like that. It's fun." She plopped down in an armchair and sighed. She noticed the looks that Tatsuki and Rukia were giving her. "What?"

"Where are you two going?" Rukia asked.

"Just to watch Grimmjow's kendo match. After that is a mystery."

"Kendo match? Isn't Ichigo's kendo match tomorrow?" Tatsuki looked over at Rukia.

Rukia snapped. "You're right. I totally forgot about those two being on the team together. I'm pretty sure if they weren't on the same team they'd take to beating the crap out of one another," she said.

"That doesn't mean that they still don't beat each other up," Tatsuki said.

"You're right on that one, Tatsuki," Rukia replied.

Orihime kept her smile on her face, but she retreated into her thoughts. She had totally forgotten about Grimmjow and Ichigo being on the same team. She wondered if Ulquiorra knew that. Finally deciding that it really was not a big deal, she shrugged and started listening in on Tatsuki and Rukia's conversation once more.

* * *

The next day, Grimmjow stared at his keys. Then he looked down at Ulquiorra. Sighing, he dropped the keys in the shorter male's hand and turned away.

"What? No threat?" Ulquiorra said sarcastically.

Grimmjow glared at him. "If you scratch my car I'll put you back in the hospital. Was that enough of a threat for you?" He walked back up to Ulquiorra. "If you so much as get bird shit on the windshield, I'll maim you for life."

"In that case, I'll be sure to park under the largest tree I can find," Ulquiorra said, green eyes twinkling with amusement. Grimmjow opened his mouth to say more, but Ulquiorra turned away, heading for the door. "Now, now, Grimmjow. Save it for the match." Ulquiorra turned and left the dorm.

* * *

Orihime fixed her scarf on her neck. Tatsuki and Rukia were already gone. She was the last one remaining in the dorm. She took a deep breath and checked herself in the mirror.

"You look nice and classy, even if you are going to watch a kendo match." She laughed. Then she heard a knock at her door. Jumping slightly, she hurried over to it. Unlocking it and pulling it open, she saw Ulquiorra standing there. "Hi, Ulquiorra!" she said a little louder than she intended to.

Ulquiorra was also wondering why it sounded as if she was yelling at him. "Why are you screaming, woman? I'm three feet in front of you."

Orihime laughed nervously and stepped out of the dorm. She pulled the door shut and locked it. Then she faced Ulquiorra, the smile still plastered on her face. Ulquiorra was looking at her strangely. "Well, let's go. We don't want to be late to the match," she said.

Ulquiorra nodded slowly. She was acting odd, to say the least. _Maybe she's just nervous. Surely she's not nervous. Why would she be anxious_? he mused to himself. He led Orihime outside.

"Ulquiorra, you know how to drive?" Orihime asked in wonder.

Ulquiorra looked at her as he opened the passenger's side door for her. "Why wouldn't I know how to drive, woman?"

Orihime smiled and passed him. "You shouldn't answer questions with a question in return." She sat down and stuck her head out. "It's rude."

Ulquiorra looked away from her and shut the door.

* * *

It took Orihime a long time to realize that they were not headed towards the kendo match. In fact, they were headed off of the campus entirely. She turned her head and looked at Ulquiorra. He had not said anything to her yet. She opened her mouth to ask a question as they pulled out the campus' gates.

Ulquiorra sighed. "Finally," he mumbled under his breath. He stepped on the gas as he turned right. Orihime flew into the window. Ulquiorra looked over at her. "Why don't you have your seatbelt on, woman? Do you want me to get pulled over?"

"If you get pulled over it won't be because of my lack of a seatbelt, Ulquiorra," Orihime retorted as she pulled the belt across her chest. "Where are we going? Why have we left the cam..." She quieted when Ulquiorra placed a finger on her lips. She stared down, cross-eyed, at his skinny, pale finger before glancing back up at him.

"Quiet. Do not probe me with questions or I will turn this car around and take you back to your dorm. Are we clear?" he asked. Orihime nodded silently. "Good."

Orihime sat back in her seat. She watched Ulquiorra drive. He drove like Grimmjow: fast. While Ulquiorra drove fast, he also seemed to flawlessly execute the proper driving techniques, such as using turning signals, braking, and coming to complete stops at the drop of a dime. But, then he got behind two people who were driving slow and he had to dramatically decrease his speed lest he cause an accident. Orihime watched as he drummed his finger against the steering wheel in agitation.

_That's too cute. Ulquiorra is __**AGITATED**_, she thought. She watched his left eyebrow twitch irritably. The Ulquiorra put his left hand back on the gear shift. _Uh oh_...

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Orihime stumbled out of the car after Ulquiorra parked under a tree. "Ulquiorra, you are a _**TERRIBLE**_ driver!" she yelled.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow in question. "That's odd. I always thought my driving skills were rather fair." He looked towards the place where they had arrived. "Besides, if we had stayed behind those two we would've been late."

Orihime walked up next to him. She followed his line of sight. They stood in front of a large observatory. Orihime leaned back as she stared up at the large dome at the top of the building. She was not aware that she was holding her mouth open.

"What are we doing here, Ulquiorra?" she asked in wonder. She looked down as Ulquiorra took her hand and pulled her towards the building.

"Stop asking questions, woman." Ulquiorra looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Just wait."

Orihime poked her lip out and looked away from him. "Fine. Be that way."

Ulquiorra ignored her and lead her inside. He sighed inwardly as he examined the crowd of people milling about. _Typical_, he thought drearily. He looked at Orihime and saw that she had zoned out, looking around her at the other people. He tugged her arm and she began following him. He pulled her up to two large doors. There he presented two tickets to a doorman.

Orihime was still trying to figure out where she was and what was going on. She was about to inquire again when Ulquiorra pulled her into a large room. It appeared to be some sort of auditorium. People were filing in quickly, even passing them up as they tried to find seats.

"So..."

"Let's just get to our seats quickly, woman."

Two minutes later, Orihime found herself seated somewhere in the middle of the seats. She did a few takes of the room. Then she gasped as she realized where she was. "Ulquiorra, we're at the planetarium!" she said happily.

"Yes, I know that." Ulquiorra looked over at her. "What type of music do you like?"

Orihime blinked a few times. "Well..." She stopped when it went dark all around them. The audience started cheering and clapping as music came on loudly in Orihime's ears. Lasers came on, causing her to gasp and sit back. Then she smiled. "A laser rock show!"

* * *

"I cannot believe that she ditched us. _**AGAIN**_!" Tatsuki fumed between Rukia and Uryuu.

Uryuu looked down at the floor from the stands. "Well, at least she was spared the embarrassment of watching those two act like idiots." He motioned towards Grimmjow and Ichigo as they were being chewed out by their team captain, sponsor, and anyone else who wanted to yell at them.

"Sure it was acting?" Rukia mumbled. "It was funny, though," she amended with a giggle.

Tatsuki scoffed. "Which part? When Grimmjow hit Ichigo while he was off-guard and yelled 'Are you not entertained?'"

"Or when Ichigo kicked Grimmjow in the ass afterwards and came back with 'This is Sparta?'" Uryuu said. After realizing how stupid they sounded, Uryuu cracked a smile and Tatsuki tried to muffle her snickers.

Rukia smiled in triumph. "See? It was funny." She noticed someone walking, no, _**STORMING**_ over to Grimmjow and Ichigo. "Is that Soifon?"

Sure enough, Soifon walked directly up to Grimmjow. He was at least a foot taller than her. When he looked down and saw her glaring murderously up at him, he smirked. The smirk was immediately wiped off by a solid fist to his jaw.

"You are so childish!" Soifon yelled. She then proceeded to storm back out the same way she came.

Tatsuki blinked a few times. "Did not see that coming."

* * *

Ulquiorra chanced a glance at Orihime. She was stuffing cotton candy in her mouth at an extremely fast rate as she looked at the display of lights above her. During the intermission, she had somehow convinced Ulquiorra that getting her cotton candy would not spoil her dinner. Now she was sitting next to him, completely engrossed in the laser show and eating candy like a child.

_It's almost like she never had a chance to be a child_, he thought. _Although I find that hard to believe with her mindset_...

Orihime noticed Ulquiorra turn his head to look back up at the show. Smiling, she took some of the sticky cotton candy into her fingers and slowly moved towards Ulquiorra. Before she could make her move, he grabbed her hand without even looking. Then he glared at her. Orihime smiled and thrust her hand forward, placing the sticky candy on his pale nose.

"That's for being so mean earlier," she whispered as the final song began to play. "I like this song," she whispered.

Ulquiorra's eyes crossed as he looked down at his cotton candy-covered nose. He took the offending substance off his nose and looked at Orihime again. She was quietly singing the words to the song: _Across the Universe_. He glanced up at the lights as they showed different aspects of the cosmos.

When it was over, the audience erupted into applause. Orihime clapped happily. Then she threw herself into Ulquiorra, planting a kiss right on his lips. Ulquiorra, clearly taken by surprise, just held his hands out and eyes wide open. For a moment he had no idea what to do. He had not been prepared for her reaction. The she was gone.

"Thank you, Ulquiorra! That was fun!" Orihime released him before he could return the gesture and was up from her seat as if nothing happened. She pulled him to his feet. "What's next? I say we go to Rangiku's for something to eat. She makes this great sponge cake that she only makes for me..."

Ulquiorra listened to her jabber on and on about Rangiku's cooking. He got the feeling that he wanted no part of it, but the way she spoke about it seemed to make her happy. "You want this Rangiku's food to eat right now?" he asked as they reached the car. Orihime turned towards him and nodded. Ulquiorra sighed. "Very well."

Orihime smiled and got in the car. Then she blinked. "Ulquiorra..."

"Buckle up."

* * *

Rangiku narrowed her eyes as she heard the door open for the umpteenth time that day. She had no idea why the shop was so busy. The one day she wanted it to be slow and it was bustling. She put on her fakest smile and faced the new customer. "Welcome to Aizen's. I'll be right with... Orihime!"

Orihime smiled at Rangiku and pulled Ulquiorra inside the shop with her. She hustled them over to a booth and sat immediately. Ulquiorra slowly sat across from her as the busty blonde made her way over to them.

Rangiku put her hand down on the table and leaned forward. "So... How are you two this fine night? And where've you been? You smell like candy and popcorn," Rangiku said, catching a whiff of Orihime's hair.

"Ulquiorra took me to the planetarium to see the laser rock show. He also got me some cotton candy," Orihime said with a giggle.

Rangiku smiled at her friend and then looked at Ulquiorra. He was staring intently down at the small menu the shop had to offer. "Well, that was awfully nice of you, Ulquiorra. Is this a date? I don't want to intrude," she said.

Orihime's eyes widened. Ulquiorra did not look up at Rangiku's question, but she could see him tense slightly at the implication of their situation. Orihime bit her lip and looked up at Rangiku. Rangiku winked at her.

"Anything you want, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra glanced up at Orihime. "Get whatever you want, woman. I'll just have what she's having," he said.

"Not a good idea," Toshiro mumbled as he walked past with a tray of food.

Ulquiorra eyed the teenager suspiciously for a moment, but said nothing. Then he looked at Orihime. She was searching the menu for something. Then she glanced up at Rangiku.

"Ran's Famous Shiokara, please." Orihime put her menu away. "And some tea," she said.

"Would you like the usual shiokara?" she asked. Orihime nodded. Rangiku looked around behind her before leaning in close. "And I'll bring you some of Aizen's stash of tea," she whispered with a wink.

Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow as both women giggled before Rangiku glided off to fill their orders. He cleared his throat softly to bring Orihime's focus back to him. "What is 'the usual' that you get?" he asked.

"Oh! Well, Rangiku makes several different varieties of shiokara. The one she makes the most is squid. But I like the one made with sea cucumbers. I think it has a separate name, but I can't remember." Orihime stared up at the ceiling for a few moments. "Oh well. It'll probably come to me when I'm in the shower or some..." She stopped talking immediately.

Ulquiorra frowned. "What is it?"

"I never told Tatsuki and Rukia where I was going. I was supposed to meet them at the match, remember?" Orihime face-palmed, literally. "Oh, they're probably so worried." She began digging through her purse. She barely noticed when Ulquiorra made his way over to her and sat down. His body forced her to scoot further into the booth as she took her phone out. "Ulquiorra, what are you..."

He took the phone from her hands and looked at it. "Eight missed calls." Then Ulquiorra promptly shut the phone off and put it in his pocket. He glanced back at Orihime. She was glaring at him. "Do not give me that look, woman. You are spending time with me. By now they should know that you are safe."

Orihime nodded slowly.

Then it became quiet between them. Ulquiorra had not moved back to his side of the table. Instead, he was sitting incredibly close to Orihime. She fidgeted a bit nervously, wringing the end of her scarf between her fingers. Finally, she just decided to take the whole thing off. She started twisting it again in her fingers. She glanced at Ulquiorra and saw he was in somewhat of a meditative state.

_What do I say? How do I start a conversation_? Orihime thought. She relaxed her shoulders a little. The silence was not uncomfortable. It was a soothing silence. It was not the quiet that was making her anxious. It was Ulquiorra's nearness. _I don't really want him to go back to his side though. Do I_?

Ulquiorra noticed Orihime's nervous squirming. Frowning, he placed a hand on her restless ones. Her movements immediately stopped and she jumped. She looked down at their touching hands. Then she looked at him.

"Wha..."

"Stop moving so much, woman." He looked away from their hands and up to her face. "You'll rip that garment to shreds."

Orihime softened her face and smiled. "Why do you always speak as if you're an old man, Ulquiorra? Or better yet, from another era altogether?" she asked. Ulquiorra simply stared at her blankly. Orihime shook her head and looked away, giggling to herself. "And then you give me that adorable look like you don't have the slightest idea what I'm talking about."

Ulquiorra contained a snort low in his throat. "Probably because I don't," he murmured. "I do not speak as if I'm old."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I do not."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I do not."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"To."

"Not."

"To."

"To."

"Not."

"To."

"You do not. Why are you..." Orihime glanced back at him. His face had not changed, but Ulquiorra was somehow looking at her self-righteously. "Are you smirking at me, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. "I am doing nothing of the sort. You are imagining things."

"I am not!"

"Yes you are."

"No, I am... Oh no! We aren't doing that again, mister." Orihime sat back as Rangiku appeared carrying a tray of tea. Behind her, Toshiro held another tray with their food.

"Well, here's your konowata and tea. Should I pack your favorite dessert as well?" Rangiku asked as Toshiro handed out their bowls. Orihime nodded eagerly as she looked at her food. "All right. You kids enjoy. Come along, Shiro."

Ulquiorra stared down at his food. The look on Toshiro's face did not go unnoticed by him. Orihime seemed completely unaffected by it. She was already preparing to eat with her chopsticks. She looked at Ulquiorra.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Ulquiorra did not look away from the bowl. "Is it supposed to be... this shade of violet?" he asked as he timidly picked up his chopsticks.

Orihime shrugged. "I don't know. It's usually a different color every time Rangiku makes it. I never bothered to ask her about that though." She smiled. "It always tastes the same: great!" She began eating.

Ulquiorra watched her. He knew Orihime's taste buds differed from a normal person's. He wondered if this was one of those cases. He also remembered that Rangiku Matsumoto was the only person who shared her tastes in food. _It can't be __**THAT**__ bad if it's on the menu, can it_? he asked himself. He scooped up the food expertly and stared at it for a moment. Then he quickly ate it.

* * *

Behind the counter, Toshiro and Gin watched. They waited for Ulquiorra's reaction to Rangiku's cooking. At first, nothing happened. Ulquiorra chewed and swallowed calmly, his eyes staying closed the entire time. He swallowed slowly and sat there for a moment. Then, Ulquiorra's lip twitched mildly.

"He definitely tasted it," Toshiro said.

Gin nodded. "Yep. I'm surprised he didn't spit it right back out. That took guts." The two silently watched as Ulquiorra stomached a second bite. "An' he wants more? He must have a strong stomach."

"That or he is a total saint. Only certain people can handle Rangiku's half of the menu. I almost pity him."

"I envy him."

"Why are you two just standing around?" Rangiku said as she came out carrying a pink bag.

"Wha's that ya got there, Ran?" Gin asked, trying to peer into the bag.

Rangiku smacked his hand away. "Hime's Castella cake and chocolate. No, you can't have any. I made you chocolate already and you don't get any until Valentine's Day," she said sternly.

"Yer no fun, Ran." Gin walked off to go clean tables.

"Miss Matsumoto."

Rangiku jumped and turned around, hiding the bag from her boss. "Mr. Aizen. What can I get for you? Do you need some tea or something?" she asked.

Aizen looked down at her. "Actually, that's exactly what I was looking for."

* * *

Orihime finished drinking her tea. She looked over at Ulquiorra. The entire time they were eating, she had talked. He had simply agreed or disagreed with whatever she was saying. He ate methodically and like he was in the military, only much slower. Now, he was drinking his tea quietly like it was the best thing he had ever tasted.

"Well, did you like it, Ulquiorra?" Orihime asked.

Ulquiorra looked at her. "It was... satisfactory," he said. He immediately cleared his throat, suddenly feeling the need to vomit. Luckily, Orihime did not seem to notice. Instead, she just happily looked out the window next to her. He mentally sighed and looked down at the floor away from her.

_Last time I lie to her_, he thought.

"Here you go!" Rangiku thrust a pink bag in Ulquiorra's face, nearly hitting him with it. "Since this is your first date here, the meal is on _**GIN'S**_ tab. But don't tell him I told you," she whispered.

"Rangiku, are you sure..."

"You two kids be safe now!" Rangiku twirled around. "Gin! Clean up!" she yelled.

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra, who in turn looked back at her. "Where to now?"

Ulquiorra checked his watch. "It is late now. I suppose I should take you back to your dorm."

* * *

"Has she gotten back yet?" Rukia asked from her room.

"No." Tatsuki walked back to Rukia's room. "I wonder where she could've gone. Every time I call her phone goes to voicemail."

"Maybe the battery ran out. Or maybe she's in a dead zone," Rukia said.

Tatsuki glared at Rukia. "Right. Knowing that possessive asshole, he probably shut her phone off and has it in his pocket. He really gets on my nerves, you know that?"

"Who? Ulquiorra?" Rukia asked.

* * *

Just outside the dorm's door, Ulquiorra sneezed. Orihime looked up at him. He had a questioning look on his face, as if he could not believe that he had just sneezed. Orihime giggled as she fiddled with her keys. She finally started to turn the lock.

"What is so funny?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Either you're coming down with a cold," Orihime opened the door and looked back at Ulquiorra, "or someone is talking about you." She stepped inside. She noticed that Ulquiorra had not followed her. Orihime faced him and gestured for him to come in.

Ulquiorra shifted from left to right and then obeyed Orihime. "Woman..."

"You can have a seat, Ulquiorra. I'll get some plates and then we can share this Castella cake that Rangiku made for us," Orihime said as she skipped off happily to the kitchen. She nearly fell down when Tatsuki suddenly appeared. "_**TATSUKI**_!"

Ulquiorra was immediately alert. When he saw that it was only her loud, troublesome friend, he relaxed and headed over to the couch in the living area. He could feel Tatsuki's eyes following him, but said nothing. He did not even look her way, instead choosing to clothes his eyes and enter one of his meditative positions.

Tatsuki rolled her own eyes and looked at Orihime. "And where've you been? Where's your phone?"

"I..."

"We've been calling and calling. We thought you were coming to the match. What happened to those plans?"

"Well, we..."

"I thought we'd gotten past this, Orihime. All we need is a little heads-up."

"Why?" Orihime asked quietly.

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. Even Ulquiorra opened one eye to look over at the two. "What?" Tatsuki asked.

Orihime sighed and looked up at Tatsuki. "Why do I have to tell you where I am and who I'm with _**ALL**_ the time? I'm... grown. Aren't I? You don't always tell me when you go out with Uryuu, though it's quite obvious when you do. Still, can't I have a little privacy?" Orihime was no longer looking at Tatsuki but down at her feet. Her voice had gradually whittled down into almost a whisper.

To Tatsuki, they still had the desired effect. She crossed her arms and glared at Ulquiorra. He looked as if nothing had happened. He looked as though he was alone in the room and the conversation between the longtime friends was not going on a few feet away from him.

_Jackass_.

"You're right. Maybe I'm," Tatsuki sighed, "prying. But I just worry about you a lot. I guess I forget that you're the same age as me. Besides, it's not like you're going anywhere."

Orihime winced a bit. "About that, Tatsuki..."

"I'm going to bed. Try not to be loud, Orihime." Tatsuki glared at Ulquiorra. "I'll be watching you." She turned to go to her room, leaving the two alone in the front of the dorm.

Orihime sighed and got two plates and forks. She returned to Ulquiorra and sat down. In silence, she served the Castella cake and handed Ulquiorra his fork. She could feel his eyes on her. She tried in vain to ignore him and she cut into the cake. Finally, she glared at him, bottom lip shaking.

"What? Why are you staring at me in that tone of voice?" she asked loudly.

Ulquiorra placed a finger on her lips. "How does one invoke a 'tone of voice' through an expression on their face?" He removed his finger and took a bite of the sponge cake. It was significantly better than the shiokara had been. He looked at Orihime. She looked a bit saddened. Then she got up and went back to the kitchen. She returned with something and began spreading it on the cake. She took another bite and then smiled.

"That's better." She looked at Ulquiorra. "Red bean paste. Makes everything taste _**THAT**_ much better."

Ulquiorra inwardly cringed and looked back down at his cake. "I take it you still haven't told your friends about your acceptance."

"No, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk so loud." Orihime cut into her cake viciously. "I'll tell them in my own way. I just haven't figured it out yet."

They finished eating their cakes in silence. Orihime gathered their plates and returned to sitting next to Ulquiorra. Not knowing what else to say, she just leaned next to him. They sat in silence, just like they had in the car and at dinner. Orihime sighed contentedly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"How is it that I can be so comfortable just in silence with you?" she whispered.

Ulquiorra blinked, not expecting the question. "I don't know. You are so used to constant, mindless chatter that a little peace is something your mind yearns for," he said.

Orihime shook her head. "But the silence is comfortable with you. Silence with... Grimmjow for instance is restless and awkward. But I can just... be with you."

"Just be with me?" Ulquiorra asked, looking down at her. "What does that mean?"

"Just be." She played with a button on his jacket. "What about you? In the silence, how do you feel?"

Ulquiorra looked up at the ceiling. What did he feel? "I don't feel. Rather, I ponder what you are feeling. You confuse me. Nothing confuses me, but you do," he said.

Orihime giggled. "I am a problem that must be solved?"

"No. You are more than that. But if that is the analogy you choose to use, so be it."

"But you feel something for me?"

Ulquiorra continued to look at the ceiling. "I'm sure I do. What it is, I do not know. But I suppose you are the first I have had this feeling towards."

A small smile came to Orihime's lips. _He's so blunt about everything and says it as if it's a psychological problem of some sort. I can see the psychiatrist in him already_, she thought. Then she spontaneously kissed his cheek. She watched his eyes widen in dull surprise. He looked at her.

"You have taken to placing your lips on me at your own discretion," he said in a way that he probably had not meant to. In the back of his mind, he kicked himself for how it came out.

On the other hand, Orihime just grinned and looked down at the floor. "Well, I wouldn't want you to become the one that got away. I have to hook you somehow. Besides, you seem pretty new to it."

Ulquiorra faced her completely. "Is that so?"

* * *

_  
__I need a hook so you won't be the one that got away__  
__I need a look that stuns you, makes you wanna stay.__  
__Don't wanna speak in case it comes out wrong__  
__Don't wanna blink 'cause in a second you could be gone__  
__I need a twist to help me turn, turn this story round.__  
__I need a bridge to cross this dangerous ground__  
__Meet me in the middle like I want you too.__  
__I gotta find your heart to shoot my arrow through_

"_The One That Got Away" – Natasha Bedingfield_


	14. 14: U Got It Bad

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 14: U Got It Bad**

**

* * *

**

"So, who remembers all that work I gave you at the beginning of the semester?" Urahara asked. He was smiling and his pale blond hair hiding his eyes from the class. A collective moan was heard around the lecture hall. Those in front sank down in their seats as the professor passed them, still smiling. "Don't worry. I'll wait until after class to collect all twenty-three pages worth of problems you should have completed." The smile was still there.

Chizuru looked at Orihime. Orihime was organizing her homework neatly. She had even placed a small pink clip on one corner to personalize it. Chizuru nudged Orihime softly on her shoulder and the redhead looked up at her.

"Yes?"

Chizuru sighed. "You actually did all that work, Orihime?" she asked.

Orihime nodded. "Why wouldn't I? It was assigned, wasn't it? Besides, if I remember correctly, Professor Urahara said he wanted yours first." She noticed the sheepish look Chizuru was giving her. "Chizuru! This work is worth a lot of points!" she whispered loudly.

"I know. It's just that..."

"Something to say, Miss Honsho?" Urahara asked from the chalkboard. He had not even turned around to see Chizuru whispering.

Chizuru blushed and sank low in her seat. "Not at all, professor."

Urahara finished writing on the board and faced the class, smile still there. "Then perhaps you can assist me right now." He beckoned Chizuru with a single finger. Chizuru nodded and glared at Orihime. Orihime shrugged as Chizuru made her way down to the front of the lecture hall.

* * *

Ulquiorra sat a few rows behind Orihime. He also had his work on his own desk. In all honesty, he had forgotten about the assignment until two days before it was due. Luckily, the subject of it had not come up until two days later. But that was not what was really what was on Ulquiorra's mind. He was thinking about something totally different.

_I have to turn this in and leave before she can say anything to me_, he thought.

After class, Ulquiorra rushed down the stairs of the lecture hall and tossed his assignment on Urahara's desk. Then he turned and left as quickly as he had come. He paused and sighed when he met the beaming face of Orihime outside the door.

"Where are you off to in such a rush?" she asked, still grinning at him. She took his arm. "I thought we could go to this lovely little sushi..."

Ulquiorra shrugged out of Orihime's grasp. It was perhaps a little rougher than he intended and he saw the hurt on her face and inwardly cringed. Outwardly, he remained as stoic as ever. "I can't. I have errands to run," he said.

Orihime smiled and shrugged. "Well, I'll come with you and we'll eat afterwards." Ulquiorra was shaking his head. "No? Why..."

"No, Orihime." Ulquiorra turned and walked off without looking back.

Orihime stared at his back as he disappeared down the hall. She pouted for a moment as Ryo and Chizuru came up behind her. _That was odd. He's never so pushy or secretive_, she thought.

Chizuru leaned in close to her ear. "See? That's why men are the scourge of the universe," she said. "Come on, Hime. I'll get you lunch."

* * *

Ulquiorra hustled down the street in the chilly February air. He tried to get the mental picture of Orihime's widened, hurt eyes out of his mind. He was so distracted that he began crossing the street without looking. Only when a car honked at him did he realize his mistake. He hurried back to the sidewalk to wait for the signal.

_The woman is such a distraction sometimes. I almost got hit by a car again because of her. This time indirectly_, he thought morbidly. The signal changed and he kept going.

He walked to a rather well-kept neighborhood. Ulquiorra stuck out like a sore thumb among all the brightly-colored homes. He looked completely out of place in his dark clothes. Sighing, he stopped at one particular house and walked up the path to it. He rang the doorbell, which sounded more like a cat's meow than anything.

A man with silver hair opened the door. He was holding a pot that had a ladle sticking out of it. He glared down at the shorter Ulquiorra. Nothing about the man said "chef" or "cook." He looked like someone who belonged in the armed forces instead. He went back to stirring his concoction in the pot.

"Hey, Ulquiorra." He stepped to the side to allow Ulquiorra entrance. Ulquiorra entered and shut the door quietly. "What can I do you for today?" he asked.

"Mr. Muguruma, is Miss Yadomaru here?" Ulquiorra asked.

"It's Kensei and if Lisa hears you call her that she'll beat you within an inch of your life." Kensei started to head for the kitchen. "She's up in her room. Beware of flying records." With that, Kensei was gone. A squeal from someone else announced his return.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. _Mashiro_. He looked towards the big wooden stairs in front of him and sighed. He could hear piano music coming from a room behind them. _Rose_. There was laughter from a study to his left. _Love_. Then he thought of Lisa. Lisa Yadomaru was scary and even more frightening when you had her alone in a room. He started upstairs. As soon as he turned the corner, he had to duck. A black record went flying over his head. It slammed into the wall, shattering into pieces.

"Damnit, Hiyori! Why do you always throw the new ones? I just bought that one!"

"Who cares which records I throw? If you weren't such a dumbass, I wouldn't throw any of your ridiculous records!"

Ulquiorra walked hurriedly past the room where the fighting was coming from. "Shinji. Hiyori," he greeted quietly.

"Hey, Ulquiorra," Shinji said, still pulling on Hiyori's pigtails. Then he blinked. "Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra made it to the room at the end of the hall. He knocked on the door. After a moment, he heard a garbled reply that led him to believe that he could enter. He did so and paused.

"Ulquiorra," Lisa said. She did not look up from magazine she was reading as she lay on her bed. "Come in and close the door. That is unless you want the whole house in on our conversation." She looked up at him through her glasses.

Ulquiorra did as he was told. "I need to ask you a favor," he said.

Lisa sat back. "Finally got a girlfriend, eh? What do you need me to do for you?" she asked.

He stared at her blankly for a moment. "How... Never mind. I need your help in planning something."

She smiled. "That I can do." Lisa reached for a pen and paper. "What's this for?"

Ulquiorra shoved his hands in his pockets and looked off into space. "That day you women all fret over. Valentine's Day, is it called? I need the whole day planned out."

"I see." Lisa scribbled for a moment. Then she looked up. "I have the perfect idea. It is to be a complete surprise?"

"Yes."

"If you're going to plan this with me, you can't fraternize with her until the big day." Lisa eyed him. Ulquiorra frowned. "I mean it, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra nodded. He doubted brushing her off to come to see Lisa went over well with Orihime. Now avoiding her for a few weeks would put even more strain on their fledgling relationship. Hopefully it would all be worth it in the end.

* * *

Orihime dragged her feet in her dorm. She took off her coat and tossed it towards the coat hanger. It missed completely and fell to the floor. Orihime then pulled out her cell phone while throwing her books and purse on the arm chair in the living area. She saw that she had no missed calls or messages. She continued to drag her feet all the way to the kitchen and picked up some of Rangiku's Castella cake. She went back to the couch and began stuffing her face.

Tatsuki and Rukia came in about an hour later. They saw Orihime passed out on the couch. Her fingers were sticky with cake. Her mouth was hanging open. Her things were tossed everywhere. It was so unlike her to be so sloppy. Tatsuki walked over to her and tapped her shoulder. _**HARD**_.

Orihime sat up quickly. She licked her lips and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Then she noticed Tatsuki and smiled. "Tatsuki! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I live here, Orihime." Tatsuki gestured to the mess. "What happened? You're the neat freak around here."

"Sorry."

Rukia walked over to the two, holding mail. She held out a business envelope to Orihime. "This is for you. Looks like it's from the States," she said.

Orihime stared at the envelope for a moment. Then she snatched it from Rukia. She tore into it and reached inside. She did not pull the contents out, instead choosing to look and see what it was beforehand. Then she pulled out a letter and read it.

Tatsuki watched the expressions on Orihime's face change. They ranged from glee to surprise to sad to worry to afraid. Orihime folded the letter back up and looked at them. Tatsuki shook her head. "Well? What does someone in the States want with you?" she asked. Rukia nudged her. "Hey! I'm just asking. I'm genuinely curious."

Orihime nervously put her hair behind her ear. "Well..." she began. She told them of her acceptance to the medical school in Boston. She told them that she really wanted to go. She told them that they had just accepted her into an early program that started in the summer. "That's about it."

Tatsuki was quiet for a moment. Then she looked at Orihime. "And you were going to tell us when you were at the airport boarding the plane for America?" she asked.

"No!" Orihime shook her head quickly. "It's just that things like this are hard to tell your best friends." Her voice had gotten quieter as she had gone along.

Rukia looked between the two. She stepped forward. "Well, I'm happy for you, Orihime. We should _**ALL**_ be happy for you. You're one step closer to achieving your dream. It's only right that you achieve it at a place you think is suitable," she said.

"Thanks, Rukia," Orihime said with a smile.

Tatsuki sighed. She tried to say something, but found she could not. Instead, she turned and walked out of the room. Both Rukia and Orihime jumped when they heard her bedroom door slam. Rukia looked up at Orihime to see the girl was on the verge of tears. She placed a hand on her back.

"She's been getting mad an awful lot because of me," Orihime said quietly.

"Don't worry. Tatsuki will come around. She's a hot-head like Ichigo. They just need to let it simmer for a moment. She wants nothing but the best for you, trust me," Rukia said.

Orihime nodded. Then she remembered something else. _I also have to tell Ulquiorra_, she thought.

* * *

Ulquiorra dashed out of class the next day as well. He had not so much as spared Orihime a passing glance. At least from Orihime's perspective that's what it seemed like. Ulquiorra saw her just fine. He saw the hurt expression as it seemed like he completely ignored her. He saw her pout that little bit. But he shook his head and kept on towards his goal.

* * *

Ryo walked up to Orihime. "You know? Valentine's Day is coming up. I can't believe he's acting like this so close to now," she said.

Orihime shot her a mean look. "I'm sure there's a certain reason for this. Maybe he has a lot of work to do." She turned and walked off in another direction.

* * *

"You're late." Lisa was reading another magazine as Ulquiorra got in her car. "Let's not make that a habit, eh?" she said.

Ulquiorra sighed and leaned against the door. Her car was so... feminine. It smelled of something sweet. She had a blue scarf hanging from the rearview mirror. The headrests on her seats had something blue and fuzzy on them. The floor mats were even blue. To Ulquiorra it was tacky. To Lisa, it was a work of art.

"Where are we going?" Ulquiorra asked.

Lisa looked at him. "Wait and see." She worked the gear shift. Ulquiorra soon discovered that he had nothing on her in terms of driving skills. "By the way, you do know how the 'pick up' is done, right?" Lisa looked at him.

Ulquiorra looked over at her. "Pick up?"

* * *

That was the routine for the next two weeks. Ulquiorra ignored Orihime, trying to keep her out of whatever it was he was planning. She would just stand, watching him rush off without her with no explanation why.

_Have I done something wrong? He won't even look me in the back of the head anymore_, she thought. Her bottom lip quivered. _I know_...

Grimmjow walked out of the student center holding a cup of coffee. When he lowered his arm, he saw Orihime standing there and smiled at her. "Oh. Hey, chick. That's a great hat, by the way. Where's you're worse half? I think he has one just like it," he said with a smirk.

"That's what I'd like to know. And stop making fun of my hat," Orihime said, putting a hand to her green and gray trapper hat. "And he does have one just like it. We bought them together..." Her lip started to quiver.

Grimmjow noticed how Orihime looked like she was going to cry. Sighing, he pulled her away from the door so they could start walking. "What is it? What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything. That's the problem. He's not talking to me or answering my calls. He's just ignoring me and I don't know why. I have something important to tell him, too." Orihime began twiddling her thumbs. "Something really importa..."

Grimmjow had turned his head. Orihime followed his gaze. There was a big commotion and screaming to their left. Grimmjow stood a bit protectively in front of her as whatever it was came closer. He almost laughed when he saw what it was.

"A van? How did a van get on the courtyard? At that speed? That's a pretty impressive..." He stopped when he saw the passenger door slide open as the van skidded to a halt a few feet from them. "What the hell?"

Two figures dressed in all black jumped out. One was obviously a girl with blonde pigtails while the other was a man with short blond hair. They both wore masks. The girl headed directly for Grimmjow and Orihime. She reached around him, grabbed Orihime's arm, and pulled her roughly towards the van.

"Hey!" Grimmjow started forward but was stopped by a gun in his face. The blond man was holding him up.

"Grimmjow!" Orihime screamed as she was being dragged away by the surprisingly strong girl. "Lemme go!"

The girl sighed and pulled Orihime down to her level by her hair. "Listen, pumpkinhead. We don't have a lotta time and I'm not trying to be gentle. So just do as I say." She pushed Orihime forward. "Get in the van!" she yelled.

The other masked one was still looking at Grimmjow. He stepped up closer to him. "If say anything to anyone, I'll find you and kill you."

Grimmjow stared at the man. "Get outta my face, Hirako."

Shinji lifted his mask a bit. "How'd you know it was me?"

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "You threatened me with a water pistol. Does Ulquiorra know you little scabs are kidnapping his girl?"

"He's the one who wanted it to happen." Shinji turned to see the van starting to pull off without him. He turned and started running off after it.

Grimmjow looked down at the time. _It is Valentine's Day. I wonder what Soi's doing_...

* * *

In the van, Orihime was blindfolded and bound. She could hear two of her captors arguing about which route to take to wherever they were taking her. _What is going on? Why are they going to a salon? Why is this happening_? She could feel tears coming to her eyes.

Shinji looked back at Orihime and saw her sniffling. She raised her hands to try and wipe the tears that were coming from under the blindfold away and hide the fact that she was crying. He winced and looked at Hiyori. Hiyori sighed and crawled back to Orihime.

"Why are you crying? Toughen up," she said roughly.

Orihime shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's just that it's Valentine's Day and my boyfriend is... Well, I think he's my boyfriend. Anyway, he's just been ignoring me and... and... I'm sorry if I'm disturbing your kidnapping." She could not stop the tears.

Hiyori rolled her eyes. _Who apologizes to their kidnappers? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Normally people fight us. She's crying about Ulquiorra. What a wimp_!

Shinji crawled back to Orihime. "Well, let's put it this way. Things aren't as bad as they seem," he said cryptically.

"Huh?" Orihime looked up in the direction of his voice. "What do you mean?"

"Trust me, Little Hime."

Orihime nodded slowly. Then she paused. _Wait a minute. What did he just call me_?

* * *

It was not long until she was being pulled out of the van roughly by who she assumed was Hiyori. Shinji was yelling at Hiyori to be gentler and Hiyori was saying she was.

"If that's gentle, what's rough?" Shinji asked. Orihime winced as she heard a cracking noise. Then she heard Shinji groaning. "Damn..."

Orihime was pushed and pulled some more until she was practically thrown in a soft chair of some sort. Her blindfold came off and she saw two new people standing in front of her. "Who are you?" she asked while swallowing.

"Kensei Muguruma," the silver-haired one said while cracking his knuckles.

"Hachigen Ushoda," the very large man said with a bow. "We're here to serve you, Miss Inoue."

Orihime raised an eyebrow. "Wait. How do you..."

"Rose! We need a wash!" Kensei yelled. A blond man came around the corner, holding shampoo and smiling.

_This is getting stranger by the second_, Orihime thought. _What is going on_?

* * *

About four hours later, Orihime found herself standing in front of two women. One had lime green hair and a pink scarf and the other had glasses and a black ponytail. They were both sizing Orihime up. They walked around her, looking at her new clothes and make-up. They checked her hair. The brushed dust off her like she was a mannequin.

"And who are you two?" Orihime asked. "I've met Shinji, Hiyori, Kensei, Hachigen, who's very sweet by the way, and Rose."

"Hachi is sweet, isn't he?" the green-haired one said happily. "I'm Mashiro Kuna and that's Lisa Yadomaru. It looks like they did a great job on you."

Orihime nodded stiffly and looked down at the emerald green dress she had on. Her eyes began to water again. The color reminded her of Ulquiorra's eyes. She reached up with her right hand to wipe the tears away. Lisa frowned and smacked her hand. Orihime looked at her, sniffling.

"Don't do that! You'll smear your make-up." Lisa presented a tissue and began dabbing Orihime's tears. "And stop crying. Life's not that bad."

Orihime nodded, her bottom lip still quivering. "Why am I dressed like this? Who paid for all of this? What is going on?" she asked quickly. She still wanted some answers and no one was giving her any.

Lisa and Mashiro looked at one another. There was a honking noise from outside. Mashiro wrapped a silvery gray stole around Orihime quickly and turned her around. She began pushing her out the door of the salon, making sure Orihime held her dress up. "Time to go! The driver's name is..."

"Love Aikawa. Pleasure to meet you." He held the door to the limo open for Orihime. Orihime sighed. Before she could ask any questions, Love spoke. "It's a surprise," he said.

Orihime frowned and stepped towards the limo. "It better be a good one," she mumbled.

* * *

Ulquiorra stood on a balcony of a vacant restaurant, looking out at the sunset and waiting for his guest to arrive. There were a few things he was prepared for. One was a slap in the face. Two was a lecture. The third were tears. While he hoped none of these would occur, he knew it was possible one or all three would. Ever the stoic, he had prepared himself for them nonetheless.

He heard some shuffling behind him and turned around. There stood Orihime, squeezing the gray stole and looking at him with the blankest expression he had ever seen on her face. For the longest, they just stood there staring at one another. Finally, Ulquiorra took it upon himself to speak and break the horribly uncomfortable silence.

"The dress suits you surprisingly well," he said. Then he mentally kicked himself at how it came out.

Orihime finally blinked. "You... You did all this? For me?" she asked. "This was your doing?"

Ulquiorra nodded and took a few steps towards her. "It's been a few weeks in planning." He gestured to the area around them. "Decor, the restaurant's vacancy, your pampering. Everything."

"You ignored me for weeks for this?" Orihime asked. She watched Ulquiorra nod slowly. She considered him for a moment before just sighing and shaking her head. "A teddy bear would've sufficed but this is just as nice," she said with a giggle.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened in surprise. "You are not angry?"

Orihime shook her head again. "I wasn't angry to begin with. I was just sad. I thought I had done something wrong. Then today I get tackled, kidnapped, made over, and driven to an empty restaurant to find you, looking might spiffy by the way, and all the while I keep getting told that life isn't so bad. So when I finally do see you, life isn't so bad."

Ulquiorra stared at her for a moment, still in a bit of shock that she did not want to choke the life out of him. Then he sighed. "You never cease to amaze me, woman." He walked around her, taking his hands from his pockets. "However, I do apologize for my neglect. It was... difficult for me to stay away." He picked up a huge teddy bear that was half the size of him from around the table.

Orihime's eyes went as large as saucers and she clasped her hands together. "Oh, Ulquiorra!"

"And I knew a bear would suffice. But I like the gifts I give to be memorable," he said.

"You mean over-the-top." Orihime watched as he sat the large bear down. She looked back up at him. "Thank you, Ulquiorra." She watched him hold his hand out for her. Orihime smiled and took it. He led her over to a table and there they sat as a waiter approached them.

* * *

Halfway through dinner, Orihime remembered something important. She began stirring her food around her plate absentmindedly as she thought about how to bring it up. She did not notice that Ulquiorra had picked up on what she was doing.

"Woman, what's on your mind?" he asked suddenly. Orihime dropped her fork in her lap. Ulquiorra shook his head and sighed as she tried to clean the rice out of her lap without being too noticeable. "It's just us in here. You don't have to do it so secretively."

Orihime looked around and then back at Ulquiorra. She put her fork back on her plate and sighed. "Well, I was just thinking about medical school. My friends found out about it. I got a letter a few weeks ago. I wanted to tell you about it, but that's when you started ignoring me." She shot him a narrowed eye.

Ulquiorra pretended as if he didn't see her eyeing him and decided to continue. "Is that all?" he inquired.

"No. Rukia seemed all right about it. Tatsuki took it rather hard, though. She's basically on mono-syllabic speaking terms with me right now. There's also one other thing." Orihime took a deep breath. "I've been accepted to an early program that starts in June."

Ulquiorra coughed as he swallowed. He looked up at Orihime. "Is that so?" She nodded meekly. He wiped his mouth and nodded as well. "That's... good."

Orihime sighed. "Do you think I should go that early? I mean, it's optional. I don't have..."

"It's your schooling, woman. What I think shouldn't matter."

Orihime frowned at his lack of input. She looked out towards the sky. Then she smiled and looked at Ulquiorra. "Let's go dancing!" she said loudly. She laughed at the look Ulquiorra gave her. "I'm serious. Let's go dancing. I know a good place."

"Woman, we are not going dancing. I don't dance." Ulquiorra said.

Orihime grabbed Ulquiorra's green tie and pulled him to his feet. She got close to his face. "This is Valentine's Day and I wanna go dancing," she said. She smirked as he stared down at her with an almost surprised stare.

* * *

The moment they stepped in the club, Ulquiorra felt cramped. He'd been in dance clubs maybe twice. He always came out feeling like he needed to take a shower. This time was no different. The only difference was now he was not dressed for a club. He looked ahead of him and saw that Orihime had discarded her stole and was walking around with her shoulders bared and holding her dress up. She seemed to be looking for someone. Ulquiorra caught up with her and slipped his right arm around her waist. She jumped visibly and turned as if she was going to slap him.

"Relax, woman. It's only me," he said in her ear.

Orihime shook her head. "Ulquiorra, you can't do things like that, especially not in here." She turned back around. "Now, where's Ran... There she is!" She began waving her arms maniacally.

Rangiku squinted through the crowd. She saw Orihime waving at her. "Orihime? Why is she dressed like that?" She gestured for her friend to hurry towards her. Orihime made it to her just as she finished her drink. "Well, don't you look nice? What's the occasion?"

"Ulquiorra did all this for me. We went out to eat and everything. I'll tell you about it later. Right now, let's dance!" Orihime yelled. She pulled Rangiku out to the dance floor, leaving Ulquiorra alone with Gin.

Gin walked up to Ulquiorra as he watched the two women join the fray. He put a hand on Ulquiorra's shoulder. "Sometimes, ya just gotta let'em dance. For some reason, they just feel the need to do it."

Ulquiorra looked at the older man. "You don't dance with her?" he asked. That earned a laugh. "You don't?"

"Dance with Ran? I do dance with Ran. Thing 'bout that is that sometimes they wanna do it with themselves. Look." Gin pointed at the two women dancing with one another. "There is nothin' sexier than two chicks dancin' with each other. They don' want nothin' ta do with us right now. Ya got suckered inta comin' here."

Ulquiorra frowned. Then his face softened as he watched Rangiku and Orihime. _He does draw a valid point. She does look... nice dancing from afar_, he thought. The frown returned as he watched her. _But the only reason she's out there is because she's confused. She doesn't know what to do_...

* * *

"What's wrong, Hime?" Rangiku asked as they danced.

Orihime looked up. "Ulquiorra. He's still... oblivious," she said.

"He did all of this for you, didn't he?"

"But I told him about my acceptance and he won't..." Orihime slowed down a little. Her vision was getting blurry. "It seems like I've been crying all day," she said with a laugh. Rangiku laughed and pulled her into a hug as they continued to dance. "Ah! Rangiku, I can't breathe!"

"Stop moping! It's only February. Let him realize what's going to happen in June. Then... Oooh! I _**LOVE**_ this song!"

* * *

Gin shook his head from his place on the wall. _I'll never understand how she can like a song called "Single Ladies" so much. Yer not single, Ran_, he thought as he fingered a tiny object in his pocket.

* * *

_U got, u got it bad__  
__When you're on the phone__  
__Hang up and you call right back__  
__U got, u got it bad__  
__If you miss a day without your friend__  
__Your whole life's off track__  
__You know you got it bad when you're stuck in the house__  
__You don't wanna have fun__  
__It's all you think about__  
__U got it bad when you're out with someone__  
__But you keep on thinkin' bout somebody else__  
__U got it bad__  
_

"_U Got It Bad" – Usher_

_

* * *

_

**AN: I was listening to "Telephone" (Lady Gaga's song) when I was writing the end. So... yeah. LOL**


	15. 15: Express Yourself

**Simply Deep**

**Chapter 15: Express Yourself**

* * *

Ulquiorra was trying to put his key in the door. Orihime slapped his hand away from the door. Ulquiorra looked over at her as if she'd lost her mind. She was gazing off into space as if nothing had happened. Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and attempted to unlock his door again. Again, Orihime smacked his hand away. Ulquiorra gave her a look that could melt glaciers. This time, she did not bother hiding her giggles. She snickered uncontrollably, holding her sides.

"I fail to see what's so funny about you acting so childish," Ulquiorra droned.

Orihime shook her head, wiping a tear from her eyes. "You're always so serious, Ulquiorra." She feigned innocence at him and tugged at his tie. "Dancing at the club didn't loosen you up?" She tugged harder and his tie slipped from around his neck. She tied it around her head.

Ulquiorra mentally rolled his eyes. Just as he put his hand on the doorknob to turn it, Orihime slid in front of him. Already in the process of moving forward, Ulquiorra stepped right into her body, pinning her against the door. He frowned and stared at her lazy gray eyes.

"Woman, how much did you drink?" he asked.

Orihime shrugged lazily. "Not a lot. Rangiku just gave me something red. I think she called it a Bloody Mary. I liked it a lot, so I had about three of those. Then Rangiku let me taste what she was drinking. It was a..." Orihime paused as if in deep thought. Then she snapped her fingers and smiled at Ulquiorra. "It was called a Mojito. It was really good. The way the bartender served it made it match my dress."

Ulquiorra's eyes were wide with dull surprise. _When did she find the time to ingest that much alcohol? She was dancing most of the time_, he thought. He looked down at her to see her counting her fingers silently. Then she held up six.

"I had six drinks. That's if you don't count the shots. I had about three of those." Orihime sighed as if she was thinking back. "I don't think I've ever had that much alco..." Her face began to turn green.

Sensing the danger, Ulquiorra immediately pushed the door open. He practically dragged the heaving Orihime to the bathroom. She fell on her knees in front of the toilet... and mostly missed. Sighing inwardly at the mess on the seat, Ulquiorra just held her hair back as she moved closer to the toilet to finish her retching. After about two minutes, Orihime sat back against the wall, gasping for breath. Then she smiled, giggling a bit.

"I see nothing funny about this. You've ruined my bathroom and your dress," Ulquiorra said, trying to sound as displeased as possible. In all honesty, he found her to be quite adorable even if she was slightly covered in orange vomit.

Orihime pouted a little. Then she looked down at her dress and gasped. "I'm so sorry, Ulquiorra! I ruined a gift from you..." She trailed off, sounding as if she was going to cry. Tears began slipping from her eyes.

Ulquiorra tried to hide a chuckle and pulled Orihime to her feet. "It's fine, woman. But right now," he sniffed, "you need to get out of the dress you 'ruined.' You reek of something foul," he said.

Orihime pouted weakly as he walked her to his room. As Ulquiorra released her, Orihime stumbled to his green and black bed. She fell back on it. The moment her head rested on the soft bed, she closed her eyes.

Ulquiorra was searching through his drawers for something Orihime could change in to. Once he found a pair of pajamas and turned around, Orihime let out a soft snore. Shaking his head, Ulquiorra walked towards her and looked down at her. Her mouth was hanging open as she slept. Sighing, he left the room.

* * *

Orihime awoke at noon. She snuggled deep into the pillow she was on. Then she opened her eyes as she realized it was not her pillow. She sat up quickly and pulled the covers up around her. It suddenly felt as though something slammed into her forehead. Her hangover hit her like a ton of bricks. Orihime groaned and fell back on the pillow. Then she looked down at her attire.

"Pajamas?" She moved the cover down a bit. "Black pajamas. How did I get in these..." She stopped as the door opened.

Ulquiorra walked in. For a moment they stared at one another. Then Ulquiorra headed to the desk and sat down across from her. She was now staring at the wall.

"How did I change clothes?" she asked.

"Soifon did it. She insisted that I change you, but I," Ulquiorra swallowed and looked away from her, "didn't think it my place to do so," he said.

Orihime nodded. She immediately stopped and put a hand to her head. "I have the worst headache, Ulquiorra. Feels like a bus ran over my skull," she moaned.

"Maybe you'll think twice about drinking so much. I doubt anyone can keep up with that Matsumoto woman," he said. He noticed the glare Orihime gave him. "There's coffee if you want some."

"That sounds ni..." Orihime looked at the old-fashioned alarm clock on Ulquiorra's nightstand. Her eyes widened. "Ulquiorra! We've missed class!" she yelled. She hastily tried to get out of the bed. The heavy comforter dragged along with her and soon she was caught in it. Orihime took two steps and ended up on the floor.

Ulquiorra cleared his throat. He watched Orihime turn her head to look at him. "You missing a single class is not the end of the world, woman. I promise you'll survive." He kneeled down to her level as she sat up on her hands. "You look a mess."

Orihime chuckled softly. "I feel one, too. I honestly don't know how Rangiku does it." She let out a long sigh. "If we aren't going to school today, what do you propose we do to pass the time?"

Ulquiorra blinked a few times. Then he averted his eyes. "I planned on doing what I always do after a long night out."

"Hmm? What's that?"

* * *

Tatsuki hung up the phone, growling a number of obscenities. Rukia leaned over to her at the table they sat at. "Still no answer from her?" she asked.

"Of course not. Now the phone is going straight to voicemail. That means it's off. When I get my hands on that..."

"Calm down, Tatsuki. I'm sure Orihime's just with Ulquiorra," Rukia suggested.

Tatsuki glared at her. "All night?"

Rukia cleared her throat. "Well... I know that it sounds bad, but Orihime's a big girl. What she does is... her business. If she wants to stay out all night with Ulquiorra, we shouldn't worry. He doesn't seem the type to hurt or take advantage of her."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. She picked up her sandwich and took a massive bite of it. "Pfft!"

* * *

"Woman, why are you sniffling like that?"

Orihime was furiously wiping her eyes, only reddening her cheeks even more. "It's... just... so... sad... I always... cry... at... this... point..." With that, another wave of tears passed over her body.

"I don't see what's so sad. You already knew what would happen from the time the movie started," Ulquiorra said, watching as she dug another spoon of chocolate ice cream out of the carton.

"That's not the point, Ulquiorra. No matter how many times Rey dies, I'll always cry along with Cherry." She stuffed the spoon in her mouth. "Always," she said in a muffled voice.

Ulquiorra resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just looked back at the TV screen. The two were curled up on his bed, watching DVDs and eating chocolate ice cream. Ulquiorra had chosen a movie which he didn't think would make her blubber. Apparently _Planet Terror_ was sad enough.

_It's _Planet Terror_. What is so sad about _Planet Terror? he thought. _The movie is supposed to be intentionally cheesy_.

"Well," Orihime stuck her spoon back in the carton, "what are we gonna watch next?" she asked. Ulquiorra blinked. The tears were gone and she looked like she had shed not a single tear. Orihime noticed his staring. "What?"

Ulquiorra shook his head. "Nothing. I'm afraid to put in anymore movies in for fear of your tears."

Orihime smiled at him. "I know, I know. You don't like seeing me cry. I promise I won't cry anymore during the movies." She made her best puppy dog face. Ulquiorra just looked away from her. "Please, Ulquiorra?" She stuck her lip out and pouted.

Ulquiorra sighed and glanced back at her. "Quit your whining, woman. We can watch another movie. Stop looking at me like that."

While he was putting in another movie, Orihime was thinking. She bit her lip. "Ulquiorra, what do you think about me moving away?"

Ulquiorra paused, his mask breaking for a moment. He was glad Orihime could not see him. He cleared his throat and continued doing what he was doing before. "I thought I said that nothing should hold you back from your schooling. What I think should not matter," he said curtly and quickly. He could practically feel her frown on his back.

"Ulquiorra, I asked what _**YOU**_ think. Stop dodging the question. I want your input. Should I go early? Should I stay for the summer? What do you want me to do?" Orihime asked.

"Woman, I can't..."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Orihime was practically yelling at him now. She watched Ulquiorra's shoulders tense. He turned slowly to answer her. As he opened his mouth, the door to the room opened and in came Grimmjow.

_I'm actually glad for intrusion for once_, Ulquiorra thought with an inward sigh.

Grimmjow closed the door loudly. He noticed Orihime and Ulquiorra in what appeared to be a standoff. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" he asked.

Ulquiorra shook his head a little too fervently. "No, you're not. We were just about to watch another movie." He walked back over to Orihime and sat down. She was jamming her spoon into the carton even though there was barely any ice cream left. "What do you want, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow cleared his throat and closed his arms. "I came to check on the chick. Soifon told me she was pretty ill last night. Plus, she never went to school. Your friends kept glaring at me like I ate you for dinner last night or something."

Orihime smiled up at him. "Were you worried about me, Grimmjow?" She watched him shake his head. "You just barged in here. What if Ulquiorra was doing something naughty in here?" she asked.

Grimmjow's face went blank. Then he started laughing. He looked back at Orihime. "That's a good question. But... just _**WHO**_ would he be doing something naughty with?" he asked, earning a tiny gasp from Orihime.

Ulquiorra frowned. "Out," he said.

"But..."

"Out." There was no room for argument in Ulquiorra's voice. Grimmjow just snickered and left, waving his hand in the process. Ulquiorra looked back at Orihime in his peripheral vision.

Orihime was twiddling her thumbs and looking at the wall. She could feel Ulquiorra's eyes on her. She turned her head and looked at him. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Ulquiorra simply shook his head. "Why don't we go get something to eat?"

* * *

Rangiku bustled over to the table Tatsuki and Rukia were occupying. She handed them their snacks. "Here you go ladies. Flag me down when you're ready to leave," she said happily.

"Thanks, Ran..." Rukia caught sight of Rangiku's finger. She grabbed the waitress' hand and nearly took her off her feet. "When did you get this?" Rukia asked.

Tatsuki joined Rukia in crowding around Rangiku's hand. "Wow. That's a really big..."

"Well, there's our favorite princess!" Rangiku snatched her hand up and waved at Orihime as she entered with Ulquiorra following her. The attention was immediately diverted from Rangiku's new accessory to the timid-looking Orihime.

Tatsuki frowned. "And where have you been?" she asked.

"Well," Orihime sat down across from Tatsuki, pulling Ulquiorra into the booth with her, "Ulquiorra took me out for Valentine's Day. He did a whole lot of stuff for me and then he... Rangiku, is that what I think it is?" she asked, looking at Rangiku's hand.

Rangiku held it out for everyone to marvel at it again. "Yep. Isn't it great?"

"Ran, are ya showin' off yer ring again?" Gin asked as he snuck up from behind her. "Everyone doesn't need to..."

Rangiku put a finger to his lips. "Hush! I'm going to show this to anyone and everyone I come across. I thought I imagined it last night because I was drunk out of my mind. But when I woke up this morning, it was still there," she said.

"Why would me proposin' be a hallucination, Ran?" Gin asked, looking confused.

Rangiku sighed and shook her head. "I've hallucinated you doing crazier things, Gin."

Gin's smile disappeared for a moment. Then it reappeared just as quickly. "I think I'd like to hear about those things."

"Well..."

Tatsuki cleared her throat loudly, saving everyone from learning what went on in Rangiku's mind. If it involved Gin, it was usually something X-rated. "Orihime, did you want something to eat?"

Orihime got the message. "Oh! Um, can I have some green tea and dango? What do you want, Ulquiorra?" She glanced over at him.

"The same," he said.

Rangiku nodded. "Be right back," she said, pulling Gin along with her.

Rukia shuddered. "Those two are scary. Yet, strangely meant for one another," she said. "So, did you have a good time last night, Orihime? I'm sure Ulquiorra did everything in his power to make it perfect."

"Yeah. I'm sure he did," Tatsuki whispered. Both Rukia and Ulquiorra glared at her. Orihime did not appear to hear her. Instead she started nodding with a smile on her face. "Well, how nice was it?"

"Well, it was perfect. He rented out a restaurant and got me this really big teddy bear. Then we went dancing after I threatened him..."

"You did not threaten me, woman," Ulquiorra muttered.

"I did too. Yesterday was my day and I told you that I wanted to go dancing even if you didn't want to. So we did and we met Rangiku there. After that, everything gets kinda fuzzy," Orihime said, smiling sheepishly.

Rukia took the hint and laughed. "You got drunk?"

"She could barely stand upright," Ulquiorra said in passing. Orihime playfully shoved him. "You were that drunk."

"I was not. He's exaggerating."

"No, I am not. You tied my tie around your head. Then you proceeded to destroy both my bathroom and the dress I bought you by showing the mix of drinks you ingested. And then you passed out on my bed." Ulquiorra looked at her. "You remember nothing?"

Orihime shook her head, blushing at the news of her behavior. "I just remember waking up with a really bad headache. I swear I'll never drink that much again." She snapped. "I do remember trying to get a solid answer out of you about me leaving for America."

At this, Tatsuki looked up at the two across from her. "You told him about your medical school acceptance? What did he say?"

"Nothing, and that's the problem. Just that it should be my choice and that what he thinks shouldn't affect my decision. That wasn't the exact response I was expecting," Orihime said as Rangiku placed her green tea and dango in front of her.

"Well, he's right, Orihime. It should be your choice," Rukia said.

Orihime shrugged. "I just wish he would give me some sort of input."

Ulquiorra blinked as he realized that his presence was being ignored. "I am still here, woman. Don't talk about and around me while I'm sitting right here," he said.

All three glared over at him before going back to talking amongst themselves.

"Best ta just listen." Gin leaned over from the booth on the other side to whisper to Ulquiorra. "Ya won't get a word in edgewise when they're in a mood like this," he said, smiling down at Ulquiorra as he cleaned the table behind them.

Ulquiorra grunted his response and just continued to eat his food.

"Well, it could be that he's just afraid of the," Rukia leaned in closer to Orihime and Tatsuki, "the C-word," she whispered.

"The C-word? What's that?" Orihime asked.

"Commitment, Orihime. All guys have an aversion to such a thing," Tatsuki said.

"Well, Ichigo isn't that bad. He's actually..."

"Ichigo is the exception to every rule about guys there is, Rukia. In terms of being a typical guy, Ichigo is the anomaly. He doesn't count," Tatsuki interrupted Rukia. She noticed the strange looks she was getting. "Well, he is. It's like he'll play video games or sports all day. Then he'll fix you dinner after he's basically ignored you the entire day. He'll do it all with that crummy scowl on his face, too."

Rukia giggled. "Yeah. Like we're wasting his time or something."

* * *

It was not less than a week later that Orihime found herself standing in front of her professor's desk after class. Urahara finished scribbling something down and looked up at her. Orihime shifted under his shielded gaze, as she could not see his eyes. He stared at her with a serious expression for a moment. Then he smiled at her.

"Miss Inoue, what's with that face? I'm not going to inform you of anything particularly bad," he said.

Orihime released the breath she had been holding. "Then why did you ask me to stay back, professor?" she asked.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your acceptance to the medical school overseas. It's not every day that I have a student to receive such an honor." Urahara's faced turned serious again. "But have you decided to attend the summer program?"

"No. Not yet, professor," Orihime answered quietly.

Urahara sat back in his chair. "It could be very beneficial in getting you ready for your classes in the fall. Medical school required one's full attention and preparation is key. Of course, after your schooling hopefully you get accepted into an internship at a hospital. Have you thought what you would like to pursue?"

Orihime nodded. "Yes, I have. I would like to be a general surgeon."

"I see. You should make your decision soon, Miss Inoue. I would hate to see this chance pass you by. You can go now," Urahara said as he stood.

* * *

Orihime left the lecture room. Ulquiorra was waiting for her down the hall. She hurried over towards him before starting to walk normally. Ulquiorra fell into step beside her as they left the building.

"Aren't you going to ask what Professor Urahara wanted with me?" she asked.

Ulquiorra shrugged. "Whatever was said between the two of you is your business. I do not intend to pry," he said. He noticed Orihime starting to pout out of the corner of his eye. "Is something wrong?"

"I just wish you'd show a little more interest." Orihime looked at him. "Anyway, Professor Urahara just congratulated me on being accepted to medical school. He also said I should make my decision about the summer program soon. That actually reminds me that I have a deadline," she whispered the final sentence while looking up at the sky.

"Have you made up your mind about that, woman?" he asked simply.

Orihime sighed. "No." She looked pointedly at Ulquiorra. She hurried around in front of him and faced him. Ulquiorra almost walked directly into her. "I want your _**ACTUAL**_ opinion! I don't want you tell me that it's my decision and that I should go because it's for my education. I want you to let me know how you feel about it!"

Ulquiorra was a bit taken back by Orihime's outburst. She was staring intently at him, waiting for an answer. Feeling uncomfortable, Ulquiorra looked away from her, turning his head to the right.

"Ulquiorra..."

"Why do you want my opinion on the matter, woman? Even if I said I wanted you to stay, would you?" he asked. Before she could answer, he looked back at her and continued. "What I think or want should not take precedence on what you do with your life. It is not my choice to make. It is yours."

Orihime's bottom lip quivered for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly. When she opened her eyes again, she slapped Ulquiorra. The slap was loud enough for passersby to slow their pace to look at the couple. Ulquiorra's head had snapped to the left.

"I'm sick of people telling me how I should feel and what I should do! I asked your opinion! I want your opinion! Do you want me to go or not?" she yelled at him.

Ulquiorra turned his head back to Orihime. He was still in shock that she had hit him. But now she was yelling at him. He considered her for a moment, noting that she had screamed herself red in the face.

"Well?" Orihime asked.

It was silent for another two minutes before Ulquiorra spoke.

"No."

* * *

_Don't go for second best baby__  
__Put your love to the test__  
__You know, you know, you've got to__  
__Make him express how he feels__  
__And maybe then you'll know your love is real_

"_Express Yourself" – Madonna_


End file.
